By Onitretse Motingwa

“Little attention is given to the mental health of those affected by divorce,” says Dr Lebogang Philda Selahla, a North-West University (NWU) PhD alumnus.

Dr Selahla who recently obtained her PhD, conducted research on mental health issues of men and women who are affected by divorce. Her thesis is titled “Psychosocial predictors of the mental health of divorcees and efficacy of intervention”.

I paid the debt I owed them, but they’re still not satisfied; now I am a branded man out in the cold.”

These words of singer Merle Haggard ring true for many ex-offenders when they try to reintegrate into society.

The Spelling Checkers for South African Languages, a spelling and hyphenation checker tool for ten of South Africa’s official languages, excluding English, is now available to download for free from the website of the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR).

The North-West University (NWU) has welcomed the United States Ambassador to South Africa, Reuben E Brigety II, during a function at its Mahikeng Campus on 4 October.

The ambassador, who officially arrived in the country eight weeks ago, was accompanied by the US Consul General in Johannesburg, Mr Vincent Spera.

NWU principal and vice-chancellor, Dr Bismark Tyobeka, said the ambassador’s visit was important as the university was considering partnering with the Colorado School of Mines to assist in establishing an NWU School of Mining.

On, Wednesday, 28 September 2022, the NWU chancellor Dr Anna Mokgokong and NWU principal and vice- chancellor, Dr Bismark Tyobeka, met with the French ambassador.

The delegation was led by Mr Aurelien Lechevallier, French ambassador and Ms Nelly Hazelbrouck, general secretary  for Cooperation and Cultural Affairs at the French Embassy.

Prof Shan Simmonds, North-West University (NWU) academic in the research unit Education and Human Rights in Diversity (Edu-HRight), has been elected as the South African representative of Women in Higher Education Management (WHEM).

The WHEM network is an international feminist research consortium. It analyses challenges for women in higher education and in university management, and finds ways to develop strategies that can empower women to apply for positions in and succeed in higher education.

By Oldrin Masowa

Although the words ‘charisma’ and ‘sharks’ are not often used in the same sentence, Prof Serena Lucrezi believes that the charisma of sharks can be the centre of attraction for shark tourism.

That is indeed the focus of project “Brand South Africa” she and her research team from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the North-West University (NWU) recently launched.

With the aid of thermal energy storage systems it is possible to use solar cookers to prepare hot meals at night. Some systems perform better than others though, and there is room for improvement. This is according to Prof Ashmore Mawire of the Solar Thermal research group at the North-West University (NWU).

He recently gave a public lecture at which he presented past and recent research results of the group, which is located in the Material Science Innovation and Modelling (MaSIM) research focus area.

All public and private organisations must deal with the systemic risks of our complex world. However, such inherent complex risks are difficult to manage even where significant resources have been utilised in implementing formal risk management frameworks and related processes.

It is therefore important for organisational leaders to actively explore new methods to enhance the contribution of risk management processes when they are trying to reach their objectives, says Prof Hermien Zaaiman from the Optentia research unit of the North-West University (NWU).

Local solutions to the energy crisis are needed in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, says Dr Pamelah Cheuka, an economics specialist whose PhD thesis has shed light on the energy challenges of the region.

Dr Cheuka’s recent study on the impact of energy efficiency and renewable energy generation on productivity in the SADC has the potential to influence energy policymaking, especially in this era of climate change.