Every October, the cybersecurity community unites under the central theme of “vigilance”. With the rapid growth of generative AI, this call to action has become more important than ever.

As part of the Cyber Security Awareness Month initiatives, the North-West University’s (NWU’s) IT department recently hosted an online seminar on 9 October. Led by business analyst Thapelo Makile and IT technician Frans Roodt, the seminar explored the digital landscape in which threats are becoming increasingly advanced, personalised and deceptive.

Young scientists from all over the world are putting their heads together to find sustainable water solutions for people in rural areas. One of them is North-West University (NWU) doctoral student Keaobaka Masego Mahoko, who will represent the institution at the 2025 Technical University of Denmark (DTU) Next Generation Digital Action Summit in Denmark in November.

By Gofaone Motsamai and Phenyo Mokgothu

When students from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus gathered for the School of Physical and Chemical Sciences-in-Action event on 7 and 8 October 2025, they joined an initiative that brought academia and industry together.

Under the theme “Connecting academia and industry through science”, the two-day event created a space for students, academics and professionals to engage with organisations working across various scientific fields.

Final-year Business Management students at the North-West University (NWU) were recently treated to an engaging guest lecture by one of the institution’s senior leaders, Ntsikie Kote-Nkomo, executive director for strategy and strategic projects in the vice-chancellor’s office.

Ntsikie brings more than two decades of strategic leadership to her role. She oversees institutional strategy development, performance alignment and strategic projects across NWU.

In October, South Africans celebrate Transport Month, or should we rather say that South Africans acknowledge it? Our indispensable, but ailing transport infrastructure should be the veins through which our economy flows and grows, but these veins have been clocked by corruption, maladministration and neglect. Is our transport infrastructure in danger of causing cardiac arrest to our country?

The North-West University (NWU) brought together alumni, staff and partners on 27 September 2025 at Hunters Rest Hotel in Rustenburg for an inspiring evening focused on education, mentorship, and the power of alumni networks in building the university’s future.

South Africa’s pursuit of sustainable development remains uneven, with economic growth often taking precedence over environmental and social considerations, and while laws and policies highlight sustainability, practice tells a different story.

“Economic growth dominates the discourse,” said Dr Fredua Agyemang, a postdoctoral research fellow under the SARChI Chair: Cities, Law and Environmental Sustainability at the North-West University (NWU).

“Social sustainability is often reduced to consultation exercises, and environmental concerns are treated as secondary.”

By Gofaone Motsamai and Mzwandile Ndlovu

Once played in dusty village yards and open fields where laughter echoed and children learned teamwork through play, indigenous games used to be at the heart of African childhood. Today, many of those games - from morabaraba and diketo to mmela and ntimo - are fading from memory, overshadowed by modern sports. But at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus, those forgotten rhythms came alive again as the institution hosted its first-ever Indigenous Games Varsity Tournament.

The North-West University (NWU) is proud to host the Higher Education Facilities Management Association (HEFMA) 2025 Annual Conference, a flagship event that will bring together leaders and professionals from across the higher education, training and infrastructure sectors.

Set to take place from 13 to 16 October 2025, the conference will attract delegates from universities, TVET colleges, Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), government departments and the private sector.

The North-West University (NWU) continues to build on its reputation as a globally competitive and innovative institution, maintaining its position among the world’s leading universities in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. This achievement reaffirms the standing of the NWU locally and internationally and highlights its consistent pursuit of academic and research excellence. The new strategy of the NWU, Taking the NWU forward: 2024 and beyond, is firmly guiding the institution in its pursuit of distinction.