A message about an overseas research opportunity sent North-West University (NWU) PhD student Thamaga Boiketlo into celebration mode. He read the email several times, recorded a video singing “Million little miracles”, and called his family with the news.
Prof. Olubukola Oluranti Babalola from the North-West University (NWU) has been recognised among the world’s leading researchers in plant science and agronomy after being ranked 448th globally and fifth in South Africa in the 2026 edition of the Research.com rankings.
Prof. Babalola, who is based on the Mahikeng Campus, also received the 2026 Research.com Plant Science and Agronomy in South Africa Leader Award in recognition of her contribution to research in the field.
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Together they are called STEM fields, and they drive the systems that power modern civilisation, from healthcare and infrastructure to energy, food security and communication. Even our growing dependence on artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. These fields equip societies to solve complex problems and to innovate.
The Big Lapa at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus came alive with energy, emotion and shared memories as members of the NWU Convocation gathered for the NWU Convocation Braai.
The event, a brainchild of NWU Convocation president Tutu Kgobane, brought Convocation members from different generations together for an evening dedicated to reconnecting, reflecting on their journeys and strengthening lifelong ties with the university community.
- The South African government is becoming trapped within layers of accumulated complexity.
- The government therefore appears simultaneously hyper-present and absent.
- Complex systems create discretion and discretion creates power.
- Economic success becomes tied less to productive capability and more to proximity to administrative systems.
- The crisis no longer lies in the absence of rules or oversight, but in the growing burden of managing complexity itself
The digital shift in communication is forcing organisations to rethink how they engage with the public, manage crises and protect their reputations. That was the message shared by Prof. Gilbert Motsaathebe during an online guest lecture hosted by Koladaisi University in Ibadan, Nigeria on 18 May 2026.
Pumpkin leaves, sorghum porridge and bone marrow remain on the menu in parts of Mahikeng, even as younger generations drift toward processed foods. A new study by Modjadji Mandy Rasehlomi, a North-West University (NWU) master’s student, found that indigenous foods continue to support dietary diversity, household nutrition and the preservation of indigenous knowledge in communities in the Mahikeng Local Municipality.
Around the world, up to 90% of people living with mobility disabilities are unable to afford advanced prosthetic devices. A team from the North-West University (NWU) is demonstrating that when it comes to prosthetic devices, affordability and performance can go together.
In villages across North West, livestock owners still turn to roots, bulbs and leaves to treat infections, wounds and reproductive problems in cattle, goats and sheep. A new study now shows that several of those remedies used by Batswana traditional healers and farmers also carry measurable antioxidant properties linked to disease treatment.
Residents in Mahikeng and surrounding rural communities now have closer access to consumer protection services following the launch of the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (CGSO) satellite office at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus on 14 May 2026.