By Prof Joseph Sekhampu, chief director of the NWU Business School

As the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) pandemic tightens its grip in the Gauteng, North West and the Free State provinces,  the impact is spreading far beyond farms, placing pressure on South Africa’s beef industry, food security and jobs across the agricultural economy.
Dr Kaya Myeki from the School of Agricultural Sciences at North-West University (NWU) said the absence of a centralised, real-time livestock disease database makes it difficult to quantify losses in monetary terms. Yet the effects across the livestock value chain are already apparent.

Today, the North-West University (NWU) and JB Marks Local Municipality held a strategic engagement aimed at deepening cooperation and advancing shared developmental priorities within the municipal area.

The meeting, hosted at the NWU Potchefstroom Campus, brought together senior leadership from both institutions to reflect on existing collaborations and to chart a forward-looking programme of action that responds to the social and economic needs of local communities.

The School of Industrial Psychology and Human Resource Management at the North-West University (NWU) recently hosted its third annual Master’s Research Retreat, bringing together more than 30 first-year master’s degree students for an intensive two-day academic experience. The retreat took place at Woodlands Country Lodge in Parys.

Ahead of the opening of the 2026 academic year, Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela led a high-level oversight visit to the North-West University. Joined by Waseem Carrim, the acting chief executive of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and senior Department of Higher Education officials, the minister assessed infrastructure, student accommodation, funding systems and campus safety.

A group of North-West University (NWU) social work students recently participated in an international Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) programme aimed at strengthening ethical, intercultural and professional competence in social work practice.

Prof. Ankit Katrodia, an associate professor at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) WorkWell Research Unit in the School of Management Sciences, recently concluded an extensive international academic tour spanning Vietnam, India, Dubai (UAE), Nepal and other global academic hubs.

These academic visits, conducted over the past two months, reflects his continued commitment to advancing scholarly research, fostering international collaboration and contributing to global academic discourse.

An opinion piece by Dr Mabutho Shangase

The 4 to 2 majority decision by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on 29 January to pause its interest rate easing cycle and leave the repo rate unchanged for now was widely expected.

Prof. Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, says the MPC majority view provided a plausible case as to why it was considered necessary to further entrench inflationary expectations amid ongoing global uncertainty before making a further cut in borrowing costs for businesses and consumers.

While Europe is in the icy grip of winter, athletes are sharpening their form in Potchefstroom, drawn by the altitude, climate and a high-performance sport hub that has quietly become a base for Olympic gold medallists.

Members of the Netherlands’ Olympic gold-winning 4x400 m mixed relay team, including Femke Bol, Lieke Klaver and Isaya Klein Ikkink, are among the international athletes currently training at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) High-Performance Institute (HPI).