Southern African society continues to face a multitude of challenges. High levels of poverty and unemployment, inadequate infrastructure and electricity supply, crime and rising levels of corruption, and the various legacies of colonialism and apartheid all add to the toxic mix threatening lives and livelihoods.

To counter this, the southern African region depends on well-functioning and just legal systems to find socially just responses to these obstacles.

In 2024, as we celebrate the North-West University's (NWU’s) 20th anniversary, our festivities will spread joyous purple cheer and leave a distinct purple footprint wherever we touch down – for we are going to dance, leap and soar.

In 2004, the NWU came into existence through the merger of the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (its branch in Vanderbijlpark included), the University of North-West (formerly the University of Bophuthatswana) and the Sebokeng Campus of the Vista University.

The Higher Education and Leadership Management (HELM) organisation launched the Student Affairs and Student Success (SASS) programme earlier this year at the Kopanong Hotel and Conference Centre in Benoni, Johannesburg.

SASS is a national leadership capacitation programme for university staff who are engaged in the development, support and provision of services for students. The programme aims to significantly promote student success, institutional leadership and social justice at public universities across the country.

While addressing the current challenges posed by load-shedding, the North-West University (NWU) is also looking at long-term sustainable and greener renewable energy-generation solutions. This will not only ensure energy security, but also underscore the university’s commitment to just energy transition.

A delegation from Kohinoor Business School in Mumbai, India, recently embarked on a week-long visit to the North-West University (NWU).

Ten delegates, including eight master's students and two professors, visited the three NWU campuses, marking a pivotal step in fostering educational and cultural exchanges.

Through a collaborative effort between the North-West University (NWU) and the universities of Pretoria, Venda, and Limpopo, the Ubuntu Community Model in Nursing hosted a poignant gender-based violence (GBV) awareness event at the Mahikeng Provincial Hospital on 21 November.

The event, strategically aligned with the annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign, aimed to draw attention to the pressing issue of GBV.

On 13 November, the North-West University (NWU), in collaboration with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), Higher Health (HH) and the Vuselela Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College, hosted a gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide assembly.

The event took place at the Sanlam Auditorium on the Potchefstroom Campus, and it was aimed at raising awareness of the fight against GBV and encouraging collaboration to eliminate violence on the campuses of higher-education institutions.

Teaching the youth community-based research and transversal skills is a valuable investment in the future. It not only benefits the individual by providing practical skills and a sense of purpose, but also contributes to the growth and well-being of the community. This approach helps generate informed, engaged, and responsible citizens who can actively contribute to improving their communities.

In this spirit, the North-West University (NWU) hosted its first Youth Learning Festival at the Potchefstroom Campus on 18 August.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) says it is ready for this weekend’s voter registration (18 - 19 November) and is urging the youth to make use of this opportunity to be able to vote in next year's local and national elections.

However, Naledi Modise, lecturer in politics and international relations at the North-West University (NWU), notes that the North West province has among the lowest turnouts in the country, with only 42,36% of registered voters turning out to  vote in the 2021 local government elections.

When we all lend a hand in helping the communities around us, we improve everyone's quality of life. This is what the Lifting Dreams organisation aims to do. Lifting Dreams seeks to transform communities through education – and it should come as no surprise that academics and students from the North-West University (NWU) are part and parcel of this weekly run initiative.