Another player of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Soccer Institute has been scooped up by a professional team. Tshepiso Mahlangu joined Tuks FC in January 2023.

Tuks FC, a South African Association football club representing the University of Pretoria, currently plays in the National First Division.

Tshepiso, who captained the NWU team during the 2022 Varsity Football tournament is the second Soccer Institute player to be signed by the Pretoria-based team. Thabo Mnyamane joined Tuks FC in 2013.

It cannot be disputed that 2022 was an eventful year for news outlets. The invasion of Ukraine; a global rise in inflation; the death of prominent figures, not only in the entertainment industry, but also major international personalities such as Queen Elizabeth II; and the intensified effects of climate change, among other things, dominated the headlines as the world’s population crossed the milestone of 8 billion people.

It is hard to recall a time when there were as many economic and political cross-currents as there are for South Africa as it enters 2023. This is according to Prof Raymond Parsons, economist at the Business School of the North-West University (NWU).

The North-West University (NWU) will not allow persons who did not qualify for admission, did not receive an offer to study at the NWU or who applied late to enter its campuses to enrol as so-called walk-ins during the registration period for first-year students in 2023.

The NWU has reached full capacity for its 2023 intake, with no extra places available. Close to 200 000 applications were received, of which only 11 662 could be accommodated in terms of our approved enrolment targets.

by the Optentia research unit

A book was recently published under the editorial leadership of researchers from Optentia Research Unit on the Vanderbijlpark Campus. The team lead by Profs. Vera Roos and Jaco Hoffman from the sub-programme Ageing and Generational Dynamics in Africa (AGenDA), included researchers and students from all the North-West University’s campuses.

North-West University (NWU) staff member Mamello Maema has recently been selected as one of the 100 Brightest Young Minds in the World Food Programme (WFP) for Southern Africa.

Mamello says the programme aims to build networks across Africa for young and upcoming leaders from various spheres allowing them to connect, inspire and innovate.

This year’s summit was co-hosted with the World Food Programme Southern Africa. The theme of the event was “Connect, Inspire, Impact: Solutions to Food Systems Challenges”.

Water is an essential component of life on earth, and without it we cannot survive. However, the sad reality is that we take this resource for granted, and much more should be done to conserve it.

The North-West University (NWU) played its part by being the primary host of the 23rd WaterNet WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium that took place at Sun City from 19 to 21 October 2022.

These symposia have been held annually in the eastern and southern African regions for the past 22 years.

It is clear that something needs to be done about discipline in schools, but reintroducing corporal punishment, even on a limited scale, is probably not the answer.

This is one of the findings of a study by Dr Noorullah Shaikhnag, senior lecturer and deputy director at the School of Psycho-Social Education of the North-West University (NWU).

The study revealed strong differences among learners, teachers, parents and school governing bodies on the topic of corporal punishment.

The academic world can easily be infiltrated by dishonesty and plagiarism, especially in trying times such as the past two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. Good academic practice is essential for lecturers and students. 

Prof Anné Verhoef, director of the School of Philosophy at the North-West University (NWU), is an avid campaigner for academic integrity and has centred his research on establishing a Community of Practice for Academic Integrity (CoPAI).

The rampant failure of banks in Zimbabwe in the past 20 years has now been explained: a major reason is inadequate supervision of banking institutions by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) and other regulatory bodies.

This is according to the doctoral study of Menelisi Ncube, who recently graduated from the North-West University (NWU) as a Doctor of Laws in mercantile law. 

In his study, Menelisi investigated why the banking institutions in Zimbabwe have been failing from around 2002 to date.