“If all of us were to say ‘We are all in’, it will be a good transition to the new dispensation.” That was the appeal made by the Rector of the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University (NWU), Prof Fika Janse van Rensburg, at the official opening of the academic year.

A certificate ceremony is a special occasion. It represents the culmination of months of hard work; the actualisation of goals and the acknowledgement of successes. This was indeed the case during theCCPD (Centre for Continuing Professional Development) certificate award ceremony, held at the North-West University’s Vanderbijlpark Campus.

The following article represents an opinion piece by Dr Ilyayambwa Mwanawina, an academic staff member of the North-West University’s Vanderbijlpark Campus. Dr Mwanawina specialises in the fields of regional integration, international law, good governance and human rights. He continues to publish his research in scientific journals on contemporary African perspectives in these fields.

The white minibus grinds to a halt in front of the corner stand in Drieziek in Orange Farm. Melinda du Toit, a PhD student at the Optentia Research Focus Area at the North-West University (NWU) and Hannes du Toit, lecturer in Engineering at the same university, are here to make a difference.

The North-West University’s Vanderbijlpark Campus celebrated the official opening of the academic year on Wednesday, 8 February 2017. During this auspicious occasion, the Campus Rector – Prof Linda du Plessis, delivered a keynote address.

“As a University we are now awaiting the approval of the Minister of Higher Education and Training which will confirm our new statute and allow us to fully implement the structure. We have put everything in place to move forward as a unitary university.”

The Vanderbijlpark Campus of the North-West University (NWU Vaal) recently welcomed in excess of 1 500 new first year students into the fold during the 2017 Welcome Day.

The North-West University’s Vanderbijlpark Campus is joining hands with the Social Sciences Research Society in Turkey to host the 8^th International Conference on Social Sciences (ICSS) later this year.

Like his well-known namesake, North-West University (NWU) alumnus Muhammed Alli, believes in hard work, dedication and perseverance – and as was the case with the sporting legend, this mind-set yields great professional success.