Community Engagement

NWU's Intelligent Systems Research Group is developing intelligence to solve transportation problems

Computers are becoming essential in modern society with a tremendous influence on how humans create and solve problems. The North-West University's (NWU’s) Intelligent Systems research group is on a mission to develop next-generation solutions that will help solve transportation problems using technology.

Submitted on Fri, 10/28/2022 - 10:36

Hospital knocks on NWU’s door for better care for breast cancer patients

Researchers of the North-West University (NWU) regularly work in communities to improve lives and find solutions to pressing issues. In the fight against breast cancer, a hospital in Potchefstroom has called on the expertise of the Medicine Usage in South Africa (MUSA) research entity in the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Submitted on Fri, 10/28/2022 - 10:21

Municipalities must acknowledge the importance of waste pickers

More than 100 000 people in South Africa have turned to the waste-picking sector as a source of employment. This is according to Nonhlanhla Ngcobo, a PhD student and a researcher at the South African Chair in Cities, Law and Environmental Sustainability in the Faculty of Law at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Potchefstroom Campus.

“The slow economic growth rate in South Africa does not bring hope to the 31% of people currently unemployed, especially those with very low levels of education and skills,” she says.

Submitted on Fri, 10/28/2022 - 09:38

On the quest to save our freshwater sources

South Africa’s freshwater sources are under pressure from various kinds of contaminants, and North-West University (NWU) researchers are searching for ways to keep track of some of the more elusive pollutants.

Prof Rialet Pieters, a researcher in the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, is an ecotoxicologist whose interests lie in organic chemical pollutants and their harmful effects on humans and wildlife.

Submitted on Fri, 10/28/2022 - 08:22

Minister delivers realistic and credible fiscal message in budget statement

“Against the background of difficult global and domestic economic circumstances Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana generally delivered a realistic and credible fiscal message in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) today.”

In commenting on the MTBPS, Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the Business School of the North-West University (NWU), says South Africa’s public finances have now been put on a much more sustainable basis.

He points out that both expenditure and revenue are good-news stories that help to build economic resilience.

Submitted on Thu, 10/27/2022 - 09:10

Inaugural lecture advocates for better financial inclusion strategies in SA

By Ontiretse Motingwa and Nolwazi Xulu

Prof Howard Chtimira, a professor of securities and financial markets law at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Law, delivered his inaugural lecture on 21 October 2022 at the Mahikeng Campus.

Titled “A legal conspectus of selected challenges affecting financial inclusion for the poor and low-income earners in South Africa”, the lecture advocated for better financial inclusion strategies in South Africa.

Submitted on Wed, 10/26/2022 - 14:43

NWU PUK Choir heads to Cape Town

By Sandile Mahlangu

The NWU PUK Choir, a North-West University (NWU) student art society, will be heading to Cape Town for their annual concert tour after it was put on hold by the pandemic.

Due to the pandemic, the choir had no choice but to move their performances online and even pause most of their annual events.

The choir is known for performing contemporary music and choral works from different genres.

Submitted on Wed, 10/26/2022 - 14:34

NWU PhD and master’s students shine in Three Minute Thesis competition

Can you present your thesis within three minutes? These master’s and PhD students from the North-West University (NWU) proved that it is possible at the university’s second Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.

This competition is held annually at more than 200 universities worldwide, and challenges participants to present their research in 180 seconds in an engaging format that can be understood by an intelligent audience with no background in the research area.

Submitted on Wed, 10/26/2022 - 10:12

Increased fuel costs are not merely increased fuel costs

Like load-shedding, fuel price hikes in South Africa are so frequent that we have become desensitised to them. When a hike is announced, we hear of it and go about our daily lives. However, increases in fuel prices have an impact on more than just the ultimate delivery costs of products. Transport plays a crucial role in the supply chain. The concept of supply chain management refers to the comprehensive process of sourcing and transforming raw materials into a usable final product for retail sale.

Submitted on Wed, 10/26/2022 - 10:07