In a time of Covid-19 fatigue, citizens are now confronted with an even deadlier and highly transmissible Delta variant. This new virus mutation impacts on already overburdened and under-resourced health systems. More alarming is that on day 460 of the lockdown in South Africa, less than 1% of the population was fully immunised.

University students who have a mother tongue other than English should not be at a disadvantage compared to those who do speak English at home. This is why it is important to level the language playing field.

The North-West University (NWU) is one of four tertiary education institutions in South Africa to work with three European universities to facilitate and promote the use of indigenous African languages as mediums of instruction in tertiary education.

Livestock farmers in the North West Province are being urged to apply all possible security measures and avoid the introduction of new bulls without sanitary control.

This is necessary to prevent the spread of a bacterial infection that causes abortion, infertility and other reproductive ailments in cattle – and could potentially be passed into the human food chain.

It is with great sadness, shock and disbelief that the North-West University (NWU) community has learnt about the sudden passing away of Dr Johan van Zyl, Executive Chairperson of Toyota SA. Our deepest condolences go out to his wife Santie, family, friends and colleagues. He was indeed a remarkable man and leader.

The advent of social media has brought about the democratisation of communication. The public who has always been consumers of messages has now also become producers since social media is open to everyone who has a device, an account, and data or access to the internet.

The Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (FNAS) at the North-West University (NWU) hosted an online colloquium about its Mahikeng Astronomical Observatory (MAO) on 12 July 2021.

The North-West University’s (NWU's) researchers and innovators are working towards solutions to effectively destroy viruses, bacteria and fungi, including the Coronavirus, on a large scale. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to rage, fast-working, low-cost disinfection solutions are essential in tackling the crisis. The NWU has taken up this challenge by revisiting a patent that was filed years ago for producing ozone.

While the informal economy is lifting hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty, several municipal by-laws hinder the growth of their businesses, and – to some extent – allow for the violation of their rights. A researcher from the North-West University (NWU) believes a possible solution for the protection and development of this sector lies in the Constitution.

Replacing native forests with tree plantations is harming the soil at a microbial level by having an impact on soil fertility and the health of the planet.

This is one of the conclusions of North-West University (NWU) academic Prof Olubukola Oluranti Babalola – who along with Dr Adenike Eunice Amoo – recently conducted ground-breaking research to investigate the impact of land-use change on soil bacterial communities and characteristics.

Positive organisational psychology (POP) is a fast-growing field, and the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Optentia research focus area is among the top 10 in the world for publications and citations in this field.

What’s more, the top three POP researchers have had ties with Optentia, which stands for Enabling Optimal Expression of Individual, Social and Institutional Potential since 2002.