From January 2022, the secretariat of the regional water research network known as WaterNet will be based at Mahikeng Campus of the North-West University (NWU) as part of a five-year agreement.

We caught up with the WaterNet executive management head, associate professor Jean-Marie Kileshye Onema, to obtain a better understanding of the 79-member organisation, a network of southern African university departments, research and training institutes specialising in water.

What is your role as WaterNet executive manager?

Private label brands have gained momentum in the grocery retail sector over the past few years. They are no longer just alternatives to the big-name brands, but are fast becoming brands of choice – provided attention is paid to perceptions about quality.

This is according to Gift Ndlovu, a researcher from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the North-West University (NWU).

What does it take for emerging farmers to be successful? This is the question North-West University (NWU) academic Dr Faan Pelser and Prof Theuns Pelser from the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Graduate School for Business and Leadership set out to answer in their recent research paper.

The paper is titled “The factors that contribute to the growth of emerging farmers in the agricultural sector, North West Province, South Africa”.

Space is not as silent as it may seem, and asteroseismologists know this. Asteroseismology is a booming field full of opportunity for students and young researchers and has an impact on many other fields of astronomical research.

But what is asteroseismology all about? Prof Don Kurtz, an A1-rated professor now based at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus, explains.

North-West University (NWU) master’s student Letago Kgomoeswana has been announced as the winner of the 2021 national FameLab® competition, one of the biggest science communication competitions in the world.

This competition promotes science and technology by creating a platform for young scientists to find their voices and reach public audiences.

Informal waste reclaimers in South Africa play a key but often unrecognised role in the recycling value chain. Ways should be found to enable them to participate in decisions around waste management practices and community recycling programmes, says Prof Derick Blaauw from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Economics.

Although entrepreneurship has its own challenges, women face additional obstacles that are unique to them. On paper South Africa has some great opportunities for female entrepreneurs, but in reality numerous economic, social and cultural obstacles affect women and their businesses.

According to a study conducted by Refiloe Moetsi, a North-West University (NWU) MBA graduate, sexism, sexual harassment, marital complexities, self-esteem issues and a lack of business knowledge are some of the problems women experience.

Time has proven that storytelling is a great tool for making difficult topics considerably more understandable.

We Should All Be Feminists, a published essay in book format by acclaimed Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie, makes effective use of the “show, don't tell” adage that all authors are expected to follow by connecting with its readers through a personable conversational tone.

This conversation is carried forward by North-West University (NWU) senior lecturer and researcher Dr Tshepang Molale.

Concise, clear communication is imperative in the academic realm. It is a skill to make your research vision heard and an even greater one to make it understood.

The North-West University (NWU) is one of the top institutions in South Africa in engineering studies. This is according to the latest rankings by subject by Times Higher Education (THE) that list the NWU in the third position (the same as last year) among nine local higher-education institutions in the field of engineering.