The story of Dr Elfas Torerai is a classic case of focus, determination, persistence and success personified. He started off as a rookie journalist, plying his trade in community newspapers. Before long, he joined the mainstream media where he rose to become the provincial correspondent of the now defunct The New Age/AfroVoice.

In between the tight deadlines, he pursued an LLB degree at Unisa, and graduated in 2018.

The North-West University (NWU) Eagles earned their second victory in the 2022 Varsity Football tournament when they defeated the University of the Free State (UFS) in a nail-biting match at the NWU Mahikeng stadium on 28 July.

Omphile Shuping scored the game's opening goal in the 68th minute after a wonderful play with Lehlohonolo Mohlabai.

Lehlohonolo scored the second goal – an out-of-the-box long-range shot – in the 77th minute.

Ontiretse Motingwa

North-West University (NWU) Prof Ferdinand Potgieter, a professor and sub-area leader for discipline in the research unit Education and Human Rights in Diversity (Edu-HRight), recently received notice of his C2-rating as an established researcher from the National Research Foundation (NRF).

The popular annual NWU-Juta Mock Trials competition is back in full force, with last year’s virtual format making way for an in-person competition this year.

“We are very excited to have everyone back in our mock courtroom,” says Adv René Koraan, director of Professional Development and Community Engagement and senior lecturer at the Faculty of Law on the Potchefstroom Campus. She says the competition is an excellent opportunity for second- and third-year students to gain much-needed experience.

Alarming atrocities are perpetrated against our most vulnerable and innocent citizens, our children. We hear of these every day, but how often do we reflect on the scourge of child labour? There will be no child labour when laws that govern access to basic education are strengthened.

The North-West University (NWU) is the community that it serves. This is one of the pillars on which the institution is built and has been one of its mantras since its inception in its current guise in 2004.

A culture of inclusivity and care permeates the various parts that make up the NWU – from the type of research being done to the way it approaches teaching and learning initiatives and student life and so much more.

It is time to buck the dusky trend. The national energy provider, Eskom, is haemorrhaging money at an unsustainable rate and is nearly R400 billion in debt. Equipment is failing, power outages have become the norm, while its energy availability factor (EAF) has fallen by almost 30% in just over a decade.

Change is knocking at the door, loudly enough to draw attention, but yet too softly for everyone to hear. Across the country’s borders the final shots of a war are being fired. The previous regime is gasping for breath, because the world’s sanctions are choking it. The media are being gagged and traitors are being necklaced. It is a discordant symphony of chaos and riots, the conductors are limpet mines, letter bombs and comrades in arms. The prevailing state of emergency is depressing and everyone is spoiling for a fight.

During the recent July USSA competition, bodybuilder and North -West University (NWU) student Penny Sambo finished first in his division and was announced the overall winner of the bodybuilding tournament.

Participants in competitive bodybuilding, such as Penny, demonstrate their developed muscular build with their personal posing routines and certain postures necessary for the competition. Muscularity, conditioning, and symmetry are used to evaluate them.

North-West University (NWU) alumnus Tebogo Edwin Lesoro has been selected as one of the winners of the Education Changemakers programme.

This programme, now running for its second year, was initiated by the Trevor Noah Foundation, in partnership with the Young African Leaders Initiative Regional Leadership Centre Southern Africa (YALI RCLSA) and the University of South Africa.

Tebogo came in sixth in the top 10 best presentations from participants in the Southern African Developing Countries (SADC) region.