World Kidney Day is a global awareness campaign that emphasises the value of kidney health and actions that can be taken to reduce kidney disease and related illnesses.

• Taylor Swift is a cultural phenomenon, spelling a massive cash influx in consumer spending for her concert destinations.

• Cities and provinces in South Africa can benefit hugely by exploiting the spending potential from concerts by international musicians.

• Local governments should look to take the initiative and work with the private sector to fuel the tourism industry, especially in tourist off-seasons.

The Research Support Office at the North-West University (NWU) is one of only ten research support offices in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) that received a grant and were selected to participate in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded project.

This constitutes a part of the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA) initiative.

The South African Centre, for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR) at the North-West University (NWU) recently facilitated a successful online dictionary training workshop at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

During the one-day workshop staff, students, and language practitioners had the opportunity to delve into the world of online dictionaries and discover the numerous benefits they hold for research and learning.

Prof Langa Khumalo, director of SADiLaR, kicked-off the workshop with a talk about the need for an online dictionary.

In a heart-warming celebration of commitment and dedication, the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus recently honoured its staff members for their long-standing service to the institution.

The university recognised employees who have reached milestones of 10, 15, 20, 25 and an astonishing 30 years of service. Together, these recipients commemorated a remarkable combined tenure of 835 years, symbolising not just loyalty, but a profound dedication to the university's mission and values.

On Friday, 8 March we celebrate International Women’s Day. It is a time for reflection and remembrance, and a time when we recognise the sacrifices of the past and accomplishments to come. It has been 113 years since the first International Women’s Day was celebrated in 1911, and we live in a world that has been irrevocably changed since then.

Prof Leenta Grobler, deputy director of the Business School at the North-West University, explains why it is imperative that the 2024 school governing body elections must be characterised by informed decisions.

A team of students from the North-West University (NWU), under the guidance of computer scientist and lecturer Dr Japie Greeff, recently participated in the BRICS Skills competition in China in the Data Analysis and Visualisation and Machine Learning and Big Data categories.

More than 138 participants from over 60 universities in 13 countries participated in the event, and the NWU walked away with various medals and awards.

Two rounds and two resounding wins. The North-West University (NWU) Eagles gave their home crowd at the Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds enough to cheer about as they beat the University of the Western Cape (UWC) 49–15 in their Varsity Cup clash.

A purple wave of six tries washed over the visitors and the tide was firmly in the Eagles’ favour. Telling is the – perhaps mournful – fact that a number of opportunities for the home team went to waste. The Eagles should have won by a bigger margin, and they will be the first to admit it.

A delegation of academics and researchers from the University of Novi Sad in Serbia, led by Prof Jovana Nikolov and Dr Andrej Vraničar, visited the North-West University's Centre for Applied Radiation Science and Technology (CARST) from 20 to 24 February.

The visit, funded by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, aimed to contribute expertise to the development of best practices in measurement and analysis using gamma spectroscopy and liquid scintillation counter (LSC) techniques.