The war in Iran is escalating, with Tehran responding to US–Israel attacks with missile and drone strikes across the region. Operation Epic Fury and Israel’s Operation Roaring Lion began on 28 February 2026.

More than 7 000 km to the south, Prof. Barend Prinsloo, Director of the Centre for Geopolitical Security and Strategy at the North-West University (NWU), warns that South Africa will soon feel the effects through energy prices, shipping patterns and political exposure.

The start of the academic year can be a challenging time for many students, especially those waiting for financial aid disbursements.

This year, Student Life on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus partnered with Checkers Sixty60 to provide relief to students facing food insecurity through a special food parcel initiative.

When the local and global sport management community gathers in Cape Town for the 5th World Association for Sport Management (WASM) conference from 3 to 6 March 2026, it will represent far more than a prestigious academic meeting. It will be a moment of pride, progress and possibility for sport management in South Africa and Africa. With the theme: Global visions, Local actions: Innovation and Sustainability in Sport Management, the conference will be the intersection where global insight meets local passion.

Matric learners at Tshidi Barolong Secondary School received guidance on academic and career pathways when alumni from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus visited them on 21 February 2026.

The Mahikeng Young Alumni Chapter aimed to prepare learners for their final exams and post-matric life. The session focused on education, resilience, relationships with teachers and transitioning to university and the workplace. More than 200 Grade 12 learners attended the event. The alumni office also donated pencil cases to the grade 12 learners as part of the outreach.

By Gosego Phutieagae

A team of young engineers from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Potchefstroom Campus is fine tuning their robot ahead of the National Robotics Competition taking place in Cape Town.

The team, who call themselves the St331 Soarers, qualified for the national event after placing second at the regional event held in February for most innovative robot design.

By Mzwandile Ndlovu

When North-West University (NWU) senior lecturer Dr Salphinah Vuloyimuni Ubisi reached a new milestone in her career with a publishing award, she was quick to praise her later supervisor.

In December 2025, she was awarded the 2024 Hiddingh-Currie Award at a ceremony hosted by Unisa for her autobiography, Vuloyimuni: How Research on Hostels, Housing and Intergovernmental Relations Took Me to My Roots.

Despite having some of the fastest-growing economies in the world, with a combined population of well over 1 billion people, Africa still trades predominantly with the rest of the world rather than with itself. Some estimates place intra-African trade at only about 15%. This is a strikingly low figure compared to other regions, such as Europe and Asia, which boast high levels of intra-regional trade supported by strong regional value chains.

The MENstruation Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to ending period poverty and the stigma surrounding menstruation, recently launched a campus-wide initiative by installing sanitary pad dispensary machines. The initiative, which forms part of the Students on the Go programme and is funded by the Clicks Helping Hands Trust, is guided by the belief that no girl or woman should miss school, work, sport, or life opportunities because of her period. It goes beyond symbolism.

A spirit of celebration and achievement recently filled the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus as community entrepreneurs gathered to receive their certificates for completing the Student Training for Entrepreneurial Promotion (STEP) programme.

The training sessions, offered through a partnership between the NWU and the Vaal United Business Forum (VUBF), equipped participants with practical business skills during sessions.

The overall welcome impact of the 2026 Budget, introduced in Parliament on 25 February, on the economy will be positive and confidence-building. The markets will also price in what is a “good news” Budget in favourable fiscal circumstances.

Prof. Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, says Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has displayed a credible pair of hands in playing well the better economic cards he now holds to address the inevitable competing demands on South Africa’s still limited public finances.