By Menziwa Msibi

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Nursing, in collaboration with the North West Department of Basic Education, recently presented a disability workshop at Orion in Rustenburg.

The workshop was attended by employees with disabilities from the department, representing all the districts in the North West province.

Senior academic Prof Leepilo Sehularo represented the School of Nursing and shared a presentation on mental health issues related to disability.

Pride Month is observed every June, with its main aim being to simultaneously honour the movement for LGBTQIA+ rights and celebrate the community’s culture. Kurt Naicker, senior lecturer at the Vanderbijlpark Campus, shares his thoughts on the experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The Faculty of Health Sciences at the North-West University (NWU) is incredibly proud of Prof Ankebé Kruger, who has been appointed as the South African student team’s team psychologist for the World University Games in Chengdu, China this July. This significant role speaks volumes regarding Prof Kruger's capabilities as a sports psychologist and her remarkable track record of effectively restoring and preserving the mental health and well-being of competing sportsmen and -women across disciplines.

She is one of the tallest netball players in the country, but there seem to be no end to the heights Elmeré van den Berg can achieve on the netball court.

The 1,91m beanpole who hails from Bloemfontein, matriculated from Jim Fouché High School before joining the North-West University (NWU) where she is currently enrolled in a sports coaching and human movement sciences course.

She quickly made waves on the netball court – catching the eyes of national selectors – and greater accolades soon followed.

North-West University (NWU) alumni Anke Rothmann, Lebohang Raputsoe and Ané Oosthuysen secured a spot among the prestigious top 12 finalists in the Miss South Africa competition.

Anke, Lebohang and Ané will now compete with their fellow finalists to follow in the footsteps of Ndavi Nokeri, Miss South Africa 2022.The final event will take place on Sunday,13 August 2023, at the SunBet Arena in Time Square, Pretoria.

Beauty and brains

Imagine for a moment that you are standing in a long hallway. On either side of you there are numerous open doors. As you make your way to the exit, each one of these doors close once you walk past them. These doors signify development opportunities, and the hallway represents your journey from early childhood through the various stages of adolescence. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to look back and know that you stepped through each of those doors?

By Mafumane Tlhapi and Phenyo Mokgothu

The North-West University (NWU) mourns the passing of Mme Grace Masuku, an expert in indigenous knowledge systems. She was honoured with the NWU Chancellor Award in 2013.

Nkoko Grace Masuku was laid to rest on 18 June 2023, in her village of Lekutung near Moruleng in Rustenburg, North West. The 91-year-old indigenous knowledge holder and practitioner, a former principal and respected elder of the Bakgatla baa Kgafela Royal family, passed away on 12 June 2023.

The Student Campus Council (SCC) on the North-West University's (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus, in conjunction with the Community Stakeholder Engagement (CSE) Council, launched a Soup Drive to help students to cope during the exams and to remain nourished and healthy amidst loadshedding and economic pressures.

The SCC launched the initiative under the slogan "We are the SCC that cares". Sponsored by Student Life and the Finance Department, the drive will continue until the end of exams.

Thus far the Soup Drive has already served more than 400 students.

The North-West University (NWU), in collaboration with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), pledged 100 graduates to assist the local government with a turn-around strategy on 22 June 2023.

This partnership aims to deploy 100 postgraduate students from various fields to assist different municipalities within the North West province.

Manketsi Emily Tlhape, former member of the executive committee (MEC) of North West and current member of the South African national parliament, received her PhD in economic management science with business administration from the North-West University (NWU) on 21 June 2023.

Manketsi's thesis, titled “Development of a strategic management framework for communal property associations in South Africa,” focused on the sustainability of communal property association enterprises.