Miracle workers who have to dig deep to find magical solutions to solve problems – this is how Prof Elmien Truter describes the social work students the North-West University (NWU) send into the communities.

Prof Truter, an associate professor in Social Work and a researcher at the research focus area Community Psychosocial Research (Compres) on the Vanderbijlpark Campus, said this after witnessing the second-year students declaring that they will adhere to the ethics and standards of their profession.

The principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), Dr Bismark Tyobeka, has called on graduates to be good ambassadors of the university and to brace up for the new challenges that may likely come their way. This was said during a recent graduation ceremony held at the Vanderbijlpark Campus.

Talking to a congregation that included graduates in various disciplines, their families and academic staff, Dr Bismark congratulated all graduates with their success and wished them well as they move on to a new chapter in their lives.

Second-year social work students from the North-West University (NWU) are annually gaining much needed practical experience by participating in mock trials.

This year second-year students from the NWU’s Vanderbijlpark Campus participated in a mock trial practical on 26 and 31 October 2022 at the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate Children’s Court.

Prof Elmien Truter, an associate professor from Social Work and researcher at the research focus area Community Psychosocial Research (Compres), says the idea to expose social work students to mock trials started around 2014.

When South Africa was declared a democratic state in 1994, Prof Shan Simmonds was only 11 years old. Although she could recognise things changing around her, she could not understand the deeper discourses that infused these changes.

In her experience, a handful of black learners entered what had, up until that point, been a whites-only farm community school. The so-called handful soon grew in numbers and, contrary to what one might imagine, especially considering that the teaching staff remained unchanged, Prof Simmonds experienced no sense of racial divide or discrimination.

It takes a team of specialists to ensure that the bright ideas, groundbreaking innovations and impressive intellectual property of the North-West University (NWU) stay ahead of the pack in an increasingly competitive environment.

Recognising the expertise at the NWU, a delegation from Malawi visited the university’s Technology Transfer and Innovation Support (TTIS) Office from 2 to 4 November with the aim of establishing a similar office in their country – the first for Malawi.

At a memorial service on 26 October 2022, the North-West University (NWU) community across all three campuses honoured staff and students who have sadly lost their lives during the year.

In support of the university's values, the University Management Committee resolved to host annual memorial services to remember NWU community members who have passed away.

Read the memorial message delivered by NWU principal and vice-chancellor Dr Bismark Tyobeka.

Prof Shaukat Abdulrazak, director of the Division for Africa Technical Cooperation at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), delivered a nuclear lecture at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus on 1 November 2022.

The lecture was organised by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE’s) National Liaison Office, in conjunction with the NWU’s Centre for Applied Radiation Science and Technology (CARST).

In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, Juliet asks the age-old question: ‘What’s in a name?’ In the case of North-West University researcher Prof Nico Smit, the answer is clear ― his name is synonymous with expert contributions in the field of zoology.

This celebrated academic and parasitologist taxonomist follows in the footsteps of revered people such as biologist and author Sir David Attenborough and former President of the United States Barack Obama. Just like them, Prof Smit can also boast that living species have been named after him.

Oldrin Masowa

The lack of finances remains a stumbling block in accessing tertiary education, particularly in South Africa.

This is why the North-West University (NWU) partnered with Standard Bank in launching a Standard Bank student loan to assist undergraduate and postgraduate NWU students to finance their 2023 studies.

What makes this student loan different, is that eligible students can apply without providing surety.

It is a pass. That is the conclusion of a panel of experts that was hosted by the North-West University (NWU) Business School on whether the 2022 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) should receive a “fail” or a “pass” rating.

On Wednesday, 26 October, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana delivered the MTBPS, with generally favourable reactions.