The North-West University (NWU) hosted its official academic opening on its Mahikeng Campus on Friday, 18 February. Due to Covid-19 regulations, scores of other NWU staff and both new and returning students joined the event virtually.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Chairs Programme in the TRADE research entity (Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences) at the North-West University (NWU) has published a new book on Africa’s digital future.

The book, titled Africa’s digital future: From theory to action, makes an important and timely contribution to the literature on Africa, exploring the many opportunities and challenges that the continent faces in a world characterised by accelerating technological change.

Waiting for medical treatment can be a life-or-death matter.

“Waiting times in healthcare are a significant problem that occurs across the world and often has catastrophic effects – as we have seen during the Covid-19 pandemic,” says Maria van Zyl, a lecturer in the School of Industrial Engineering at the North-West University (NWU).

Prof Jaco Gericke does not take an orthodox approach to research in his field, ancient culture, and in a sense that has sometimes counted against him. However, the tide has turned, and the fact that his work is not in the mainstream of scholarship may have proved to be an advantage. It led to the National Research Foundation (NRF) awarding a coveted B rating to Prof Gericke, an associate professor at the Faculty of Theology on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus.

Blood parasites were recently shown to be highly prevalent in African wild dog populations, according to Dr Edward Netherlands and colleagues from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the North-West University (NWU).

Their study on blood parasites of species of Hepatozoon indicates that these parasites are common in African wild dog or painted wolf (Lycaon pictus) populations.

Have you ever imagined a society that is free of road accidents? A road environment where cars can connect and communicate to aid in your decision-making abilities on the road? Well, this is, among other things, what Dr Thulani Phakathi, a recent PhD graduate at the North-West University (NWU), is envisaging through his doctoral research.

His PhD study focused on using cybersecurity technology to improve telecommunications network performance and the design of efficient routing protocols.

​The United Kingdom’s Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) has presented its 2022 Service Award for Astronomy to Prof Don Kurtz of the North-West University (NWU).

"I am delighted to be recognised by the RAS for my outreach and service activities over my 55-year career," says Prof Kurtz.

He joined the NWU’s Mahikeng Campus as extraordinary professor in 2021, and has an A1 research rating from the South African National Research Foundation.

It is no secret that the Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART) at the North-West University (NWU) is at the forefront of in-depth research. Over the past year they have demonstrated yet again that their mission is to conduct research that could solve many health-related problems that affect young and old.  

Recently, HART researchers took part in a programme, #theArtofResearch, as an initiative to activate African knowledge. The researchers showcased their research by means of posters to make African science more accessible to our communities.

The South African penal system has failed and as a result crime remains out of control. This is the harsh and uncomfortable reality that is plaguing society, and the country’s haunting crime statistics attest to that.

One reason for this is the lack of rehabilitation opportunities available to offenders. The allure of falling back in old ways can be too appealing, but there is also a fundamental misunderstanding of the systematised obstacles criminal offenders face when reintroduced into society.

Twelve students from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Nursing will be participating in the provincial leg of the WorldSkills South Africa (WSZA) competition. They will be taking part in the social and personal services discipline.