Before dawn breaks and long before most students open a textbook, Dylan Pienaar is already at work – honing techniques, pushing through punishing training sessions and chasing a dream that stretches far beyond the walls of the North-West University (NWU).
What began as a personal search for direction has developed into a series of bodybuilding titles for North-West University (NWU) student Bokang Matsetela. In just two years, the fourth-year economics student has progressed from entering her first competition to standing among the country's top university bodybuilders, proving that discipline can shape more than physical strength.
The North-West University (NWU) reaffirmed its status as one of the leading sports universities in South Africa after securing six of the top honours at the 10th North West Sports Awards event, with its football, athletics and road running programmes all recognised during the ceremony held at the Sun City Superbowl on Saturday.
For most rugby players, winning one major title in a season is a career-defining achievement. For former North-West University (NWU) student Divan du Toit, 2026 has been nothing short of extraordinary.
The North-West University's (NWU’s) striking rise into South African professional football has been followed by another decisive move off the pitch. As the club prepares for life in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, the university has established a dedicated company, Eagles Sporting Excellence (Pty) Ltd, to oversee the professional operations of the NWU Football Club and lay the foundation for a planned Premier Soccer League (PSL) campaign by 2029.
The North-West University (NWU) will have a strong presence at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, with five current athletes and staff members, alongside two alumni, representing their countries on one of the world's biggest sporting stages from 23 July to 2 August.
Talent alone is not enough to take a team or individual to peak performance in sport, but talent combined with science can take athletes and sportspeople farther and faster, according to the Centre for Health and Human Performance (CHHP) of the North-West University (NWU).
The School of Human Movement Science at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus is celebrating the achievements of six students who were selected for the 2026 National Winter School Sport Championships, held from 11 to 13 July 2026 in the Eastern Cape.
The initiative provided students with a unique opportunity to apply the theoretical knowledge gained in the classroom in a real sporting environment while strengthening their professional skills and industry readiness.
The North-West University (NWU) has emerged as one of the most represented institutions in the 2026 North West Sports Awards, with 10 athletes, three coaches and the NWU Soccer Institute securing nominations across several of the top categories at the event.
The nominations cap a six-month period in which the university celebrated achievements ranging from Olympic and international athletics success to a historic breakthrough in South African professional football.
A seat in the audience at a Strictly Come Dancing show in 2010 changed the course of Prince Motaung’s life. Sixteen years later, the head coach of dancesport on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus has gone from spectator to competitor, from champion to administrator, after having been appointed chairperson of University Sport South Africa (USSA) Dancesport.