Prof Rojanette Coetzee, an academic at the North-West University’s (NWU's) Faculty of Engineering, recently established a research forum that will use industrial engineering methods to help farmers.

Assisted by research assistants Herme Nel and Jorinda Marais, the Industrial Engineering in Agriculture (IE@Agri) Forum aims to apply industrial engineering techniques to address the everyday challenges faced by farmers, organisations, and the agricultural value chain.

The Covid-19 pandemic left nothing but devastation in its wake, and the higher-education sector was not spared. This is the conclusion drawn in a new book titled Higher Education in the Face of a Global Pandemic, co-edited by Prof Petronella Jonck from the North-West University (NWU) and Prof Emnet Tadesse Woldegiorgis from the University of Johannesburg (UJ).

By Phenyo Mokgothu and Nolwazi Xulu

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Law, in collaboration with the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights, hosted a guest lecture titled “Restitution of Land Rights in South Africa” on 25 May 2025. The lecture was presented in a hybrid format, with the physical event taking place on the NWU’s Mahikeng Campus.

The keynote speaker at the lecture was Nomfundo Ntloko, chief land claims commissioner in South Africa.

Reston Mawononga, a third-year social work student at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus, has been announced the winner of the 2022 Golden Key Outstanding Member Award.

This award celebrates outstanding Golden Key (GK) members who demonstrate exceptional achievement in all three of the GK pillars, namely academic performance, leadership and community service.

Reston says he is honoured to be recognised as an outstanding member of this remarkable society.

Dr Bobby Moroe, North-West University (NWU) alumnus and the consul-general of South Africa in Lagos, Nigeria, has been appointed as a professor of practice in the research focus area Afrocentric Governance of Public Affairs (AGoPA) from 1 June 2023 to 31 May 2026.

In his new role, Dr Moroe will play an active part in training both undergraduate and postgraduate students in the specialised field of AGoPA.

In recognition of World Hypertension Day, the NWU Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART) organised a blood pressure monitoring event as part of the May Measurement Month initiative. The event aimed to raise awareness about hypertension or high blood pressure, shedding light on the importance of early detection and prevention. Distinguished researchers from HART shared valuable insights on hypertension, its risk factors and effective measures to reduce or prevent high blood pressure.

By Sandile Mahlangu

The North-West University (NWU) Museum celebrated International Museum Day on 18 May at the NWU’s Potchefstroom Campus.

The North-West University (NWU) Business School recently received its accreditation from the Association of African Business Schools (AABS). The NWU Business School was represented at the 2023 AABS Connect Conference, hosted by the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) in Accra, by the senior manager for Accreditation and Quality, Dr Lungile Ntsizwane.

The South African Board for People Practices (SABPP) recently honoured students who successfully registered as members of the board’s student chapter during a ceremony held at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Potchefstroom Campus.

The SABPP is the professional quality and standards body for the human resources profession.

According to Debbie Mtshelwane, Human Resource Management programme leader in the School of Industrial Psychology and Human Resource Management (IPS&HRM), the SABPP certification is highly regarded in the human resources industry.

The North-West University (NWU) appreciates the essential work of non-profit organisations (NPOs) and their impact on support provided to surrounding communities. The university extends an invitation to all its existing community partners as well as all other local NPOs ― including schools, faith-based and local government organisations – to register for the Community Stakeholder Forum meeting.