Human Interest

NWU farm manager reflects on economic impact of foot and mouth disease outbreak

Phenyo Mokgothu

South Africa is presently experiencing an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) on farms and communal areas in the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, North West and Gauteng. 

Hannes Lombard, manager of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) farm in Mahikeng, says the outbreak of FMD in the country has a big impact on the poorest people who are directly dependent on their livestock.

“FMD reduces herd fertility, leading to less efficient herd structures and lower livestock productivity, which in turn affects food security.

Submitted on Thu, 04/21/2022 - 13:54

NWU academic weighs in on prospects and challenges of District Development Model

Phenyo Mokgothu


North-West University (NWU) academic in the subject group Developmental Studies, Gaopalelwe Mpolokeng says the success of the government’s District Development Model (DDM) lies in cooperation.

 Approved by the South African cabinet on 21 August 2019, the DDM is a government approach to improve integrated planning and service delivery across the three spheres of government, with district and metropolitan spaces as focal points of government and private sector investment.

Submitted on Wed, 04/20/2022 - 10:43

FIH Women’s Hockey Junior World Cup a huge success

Bertie Jacobs

The Netherlands won, but hockey triumphed. When the final whistle blew on Tuesday, 12 April, it was the Dutch fans who cheered and the players clad in orange who celebrated as the Netherlands beat Germany conclusively 3–1 in the final of the FIH Women’s Hockey Junior World Cup at the Astroturf of the North-West University (NWU) in Potchefstroom.

Submitted on Tue, 04/19/2022 - 10:08