At the tender age of 25, Phemelo Theophilus Magau has completed a daunting challenge: he finished his Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree in just two years.

He was awarded his LLD in mercantile law during an autumn graduation ceremony at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus on 25 May 2022.

Phemelo’s PhD thesis was “A comparative legal analysis of the promotion of financial education for low-income earners in South Africa”.

Misinformation about cannabis use can have serious implications for people facing mental health challenges. Mental healthcare practitioners can counter this by running education campaigns for vulnerable people, including mental healthcare users and especially the youth.

This recommendation comes from Isaac Mokgaola, an academic in the School of Nursing Science, who recently conducted a study on mental healthcare practitioners’ perspectives on the legalisation of cannabis in South Africa.

His study was supervised by Prof Leepile Sehularo and Prof Emmerentia du Plessis.

We wish to extend huge congratulations to the Minister of Land and Water Affairs of the Republic of Botswana, Dr Kefentse C Mzwinila, for graduating with a PhD degree from the NWU Business School on 25 May 2022.                                          

Dr Mzwinila graduated from Lafayette College in the United States of America with a BA degree in Economics and Business Administration, and a BSc degree in Psychology.

Prof Doris Bohman, a registered nurse, nurse tutor and associate professor at the Department of Health, Blekinge Institute of Technology, in Sweden, was recently appointed as an extraordinary professor at the North-West University's (NWU’s) Optentia research unit. 

Dr Bohman holds a PhD in medical science and has extensive experience working with ethnographic methods focusing on gerontological care.

The North-West University (NWU) is proud to be a value-driven institution and is currently busy with a campaign to relaunch the values that guide staff, students and other stakeholders.

The campaign kicked off in March 2022 with a cook-off held for the University Management Committee (UMC) and an official launch in the form of a gala evening.

The process leading up to this official launch started a while ago, however, and a lot of hard work has been done to reach this point.

Kicking-off the process

The burning of fossil fuels and industrial emissions are among the major sources of air pollution in South Africa. However, there are other sources that are found in residential areas, for example unpaved roads, of which there are plenty in low-income residential areas in South Africa.

Air pollution is one of the top environmental problems that have a negative impact on human health and the environment in general.

The decision by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to raise the repo rate by another 50 basis points was widely expected by markets and analysts.

Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the Business School of the North-West University (NWU), says the MPC took the anticipated decision on a 4 to 1 vote.

Prompted by the high cost of chemicals fertilisers and their impact on the environment, a master’s student the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus, took on the challenge of searching for environmentally friendly options to replace or supplement chemical fertilisers.

Motlagomang Khantsi’s study titled “Determination and comparison of intraspecific variation in the bacterial strains resident around the root area of bambara nut”, was conducted in the Food Security and Safety research focus area at the NWU.

High blood pressure or hypertension is not only a disease in adults, but starts during childhood and tracks into adulthood.

In a study conducted by the Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART) of the North-West University (NWU), researchers emphasised the importance of screening children, especially black children, for elevated blood pressure.

Farming runs in Prof Kenny Mnisi’s blood, and his life-long passion for animal sciences is finally paying off. Based in the School of Agricultural Sciences at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus, he has been awarded a Y2 rating by the National Research Foundation (NRF), which is known for its rigorous and robust rating process.