North-West University (NWU) academic in the African Centre for Disaster Studies, Prof Livhuwani Nemakonde says the heavy rainfall experienced in South Africa in recent weeks is due to a combination of factors.

“Climatologists have indicated that this is because of the La Niña phenomenon. La Niña (Spanish for little girl) is the opposite of an El Niño (little boy), which usually predicts low rainfall for South Africa.

The North-West University (NWU) Business School hosted its third PITSO discussion for 2023 during which experts deliberated on the President’s State of the Nation Address on 9 February 2023. With 184 attendees, topics discussed included the current energy question, issues pertaining to the current energy crisis, economic growth and the reality of crime, corruption and renewal.

This month the North-West University (NWU) welcomes first years and returning students to its campuses. While various forums have been put in place to improve student safety, especially that of female students, rolling electricity blackouts are likely to create an environment conducive to crime flourishing.

We are fortunate that the late Prof Marilyn Setlalentoa, who was the NWU deputy vice-chancellor for Community Engagement and Mahikeng Campus Operations, was passionate about dealing with issues of crime affecting students and their safety at this university.

Leané Naudé, an MSc Engineering student at the North-West University (NWU), will be packing her bags for Amsterdam in May to represent South Africa in the global finals of the Blue Sky science competition.

She earned this honour after coming second in last year’s national Blue Sky awards, a biennial competition acknowledging the work of students and young researchers in forest-based science product development.

The 2023 State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa to Parliament on 9 February gave a wide-ranging, candid and realistic appraisal of South Africa’s present tough and challenging economic landscape.

Research should not only be an academic activity but should also have a positive impact on society.

This view was shared by Prof Darelle van Greunen, an extraordinary professor at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Optentia research unit during a recent prestige lecture at the Vanderbijlpark Campus.

North-West University (NWU) academic and director of Indigenous Language Media in Africa (ILMA) research unit Prof Abiodun Salawu has commended the South African television news channel Newzroom Afrika for expanding its horizons with the launch of its first Nguni-language news broadcast.

Prof Salawu says this is a very heart-warming development.

“I believe this would make information more accessible to Nguni language speakers, and it would go a long way.

Prof Tobie van Dyk, a highly respected applied linguist from the School of Languages at the North-West University (NWU) has been seconded to the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR) from 1 January to 31 December 2023.

“Prof van Dyk’s expertise in the field of applied linguistics and his well-established national and international networks are essential for SADiLaR to fulfill its mandate,” says Mr Juan Steyn, SADiLaR’s director of operations.

Language resources audit

Academic writing is key to academic success, but getting it right is not easy, particularly for students who are learning in a second or third language. This is where the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR) makes a difference.

SADiLar’s language development and testing node, the Inter-institutional Centre for Language Development and Assessment (ICELDA), has developed a series of videos, called Write It, to fill the gap by guiding students through writing.

Management of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus was recently led by Prof Linda du Plessis, deputy vice-chancellor for planning and Vanderbijlpark Campus operations, on a walkabout to see how the construction of the campus’ highly anticipated multi-purpose hall is progressing.