In the heart of Small Farms, Evaton, near Vereeniging in the Vaal Triangle, lies the Pilgrim Welfare Centre.

The mission of this drop-in centre is twofold: to combat poverty and to foster education. To achieve this, they have implemented a range of empowerment initiatives tailored to different age groups, ensuring that every member of the community is equipped with the tools for success. Recognised by the Department of Social Development and approved as a section 18A organisation, this centre is committed to making a lasting impact in its community.

The top floor of the G23 Building on the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University (NWU) hosts the subject group Pharmacology in the School of Pharmacy, and a research team of the Pharmacen centre of excellence.

He found them in the mountains and streams of Limpopo. Frogs and lizards, big and small, all of them equally exciting to his inquisitive mind. To the despair of grandmother he would run around with them in his pockets – yes, even snakes – as his rural childhood village became a playground of untold riches. When the time came, as it always did, to return to Mamelodi, where he went to school, he immersed himself in that melting pot of cultures. 

Showing their commitment to community engagement, the North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Computer Science and Information Systems recently organised the annual GeeXpo event. 

GeeXpo is a technology and innovation exhibition that showcases cutting-edge research, products and services from various industries, including information technology, robotics, engineering and science.

The Sports Science team of the Centre for Health and Human Performance (CHHP) at the North-West University (NWU) recently travelled to the Tlamelang Special School just outside Mahikeng to conduct a series of talent identification tests on wheelchair basketball players for the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC). SASCOC is the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for South Africa.

They pulled no punches, they were honest in their assessment of the troubles plaguing South Africa and they did not shy away from providing possible solutions. These were some of the hallmarks of the inaugural annual public lecture by Dr Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, Suzanne Paxton and Prof Somadoda Fikeni that was hosted by the executive committee of the Convocation of the North-West University (NWU).

Kaka Mokakale from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) subject group Setswana was announced the winner in the Best Poetry category of the 2023 South African Literary Awards (SALA).

The awards were made after the Africa Century International African Writers conference that took place on the NWU’s Potchefstroom Campus.

Kaka competed against six nominees out of more than 30 entries, and his anthology of poetry – TSWINA YA POKO – were announced the winning entry.

On Friday, 3 November, the three campuses of the North-West University (NWU) each hosted their annual memorial service in honour of all the staff and students who had sadly passed away during the past year.

Thirty-two students and eight personnel had passed away – a figure the NWU could never have anticipated.

“These individuals are not just a number or a statistic; they are people who touched our lives and we are thankful that in their lives our paths crossed,” said Prof Linda du Plessis, deputy vice-chancellor for Planning and Campus Operations (Vanderbijlpark Campus).

Associate research professor Petronella Jonck from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences recently shed light on the relationship between talent management and the financial performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs) operating within the informal sector.

As the keynote speaker at a research seminar hosted by the Central University of Technology, her presentation underscored the critical role, benefits, and rewards associated with enhancing the financial sustainability of informal SMMEs.

The Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa (HELTASA), in collaboration with the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), held its annual (Un)conference at the Tsebonokeng Hall on the NWU’s Vanderbijlpark Campus from 24 to 26 October 2023.

Colleagues from across Southern Africa came together to discuss and share ideas on enhancing teaching and learning in higher education.