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 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.

Thabiso Blessing Khanyile may not have attended one of South Africa's best performing secondary schools, but he can without a doubt compete with the best. For Thabiso, who attended the Ikateleng Project at the Vanderbijlpark Campus of the North-West University (NWU Vaal), the sky is the limit after obtaining full marks for mathematics during the recent National Senior Certificate examination.

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.

v> Whether it's a minor situation or something more serious, first aid knowledge might just be the difference between life and death. In light of this, members of the student leadership fraternity on the Vanderbijlpark Campus of the North-West University recently underwent first aid training as offered by St Johns.

For some people, volunteering and community service are an optional extra; something you do when you have time and additional resources at your disposal. This is not the case on the Vanderbijlpark Campus of the North-West University.

Motorists are now paying 29c/l extra for 93 and 95 octane petrol. This retail price hike was announced by the Department of Energy, citing oil prices and the Rand/Dollar exchange rate as reasons for the increase. During an interview with RSG, well-known economist – Dr Andre Mellet from the North-West University's Vanderbijlpark Campus – compared 2016 and 2017 fuel prices and shared his sentiment pertaining to the rest of 2017.

Will 2017 be a better year for South Africa’s economy? This is the question on all South Africans’ lips and in an effort to provide answers, Prof Danie Meyer and Dr Andre Mellet – both academic staff members within the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Information Technology at the North-West University’s Vanderbijlpark Campus, offer the following insight into eight principal economic indicators.