Approximately 80% of South Africa’s population depend on medicinal plants for their healthcare needs, leading to an increased interest in the commercialisation of plant-based remedies.

Research by Tshepiso Ndhlovu, a PhD candidate at the North-West University (NWU), is shedding light on the potential of medicinal plants in the skincare market and in the treatment of childhood diseases.

The world is a mesmerising place filled with interesting events and occurrences. These do not happen in isolation, and to fully understand the intricacies of any given event or interaction, it is necessary to investigate the “bigger picture” surrounding it.

Every few months South Africa is rocked by a gender-based violence (GBV) story that leaves most citizens in disbelief. Recently a final year law student’s mutilated body was found in a plastic bag in East London. Her intimate partner was arrested for the alleged crime. This incident sent shockwaves across the country and intensified the need for more prevention and education around GBV.

Science is wickedly addictive. It is a window to wonders the imagination never knew existed. Godfrey Mosotho knows this more than most and he is not keeping the secret to himself.

Crises that start out as disruptive emergencies can soon become the new normal. This is evident from most challenges in higher education in South Africa.

Teaching and learning, in particular, have had to develop contingency plans to offset the effects of major events such as load-shedding, #FeesMustFall and, currently, the Covid-19 pandemic.

Helping staff and students to adapt is essential to weather these unforeseen storms. It requires people to seek collective wisdom, share insights and develop a workable consensus together with stakeholders.

Indigenous grains, fruits and vegetables could go a long way towards boosting food security in South Africa. What is needed is greater awareness among households and other stakeholders about the value of these plants. 

This is according to two researchers from the North-West University (NWU). Dr Abiodun Olusola Omotayo and Prof Adeyemi Oladapo Aremu are from the research niche area Food Security and Safety and the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Centre in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.

In the light of Women’s Month, we are proud of one of our own frontierswomen who is being recognised internationally for her groundbreaking work in the rainbow nation. Prof Welma Lubbe, professor in the School of Nursing Science at the North-West University (NWU), was recently approached by the Developmental Observer, the official newsletter of the NIDCAP Federation International, about her work in neurodevelopmental supportive care for premature babies.

When you think of engineering, German engineering in particular comes to mind, while it is extremely uncommon to think of Africa. This is the opinion of Mia Mangaroo-Pillay, an industrial engineer and lecturer at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Industrial Engineering.

Multidisciplinary research done by Prof Albie van Dijk from the North-West University (NWU), in collaboration with researchers from other national and international institutions, is reminiscent of detectives solving a mystery – a 16-year-old one, to be specific.

Statistics show that 61% of the population living in South Africa is either overweight or obese. Excess sugar consumption leads to several health problems that include non-communicable diseases such as heart attacks, diabetes and cancers, to name a few. The easy answer would be for an overweight population to consume less sugar, right?