As Starlink’s vast constellation of satellites traverse the sky in low-Earth orbit, they evoke wonder and awe in those gazing up at the night heavens. Science fiction has become technological reality. Yet, for South Africans, the benefits remain as distant as the stars beyond our solar system.
North-West University (NWU) alumnus Andries van Heerden is the chief executive officer of Afrimat Limited, a JSE-listed company that supplies iron ore, anthracite, phosphate, construction materials and industrial minerals across Southern Africa.
“I started as a first-year mechanical engineering student in Potchefstroom in 1984,” he recalls. His studies took him to the NWU’s Vaal Campus, where he graduated in 1988.
Reflecting on his time at university, he says: “I think my dream to become a successful entrepreneur was really born during the two years in Vanderbijlpark.”
High feed costs and declining meat quality are two of the biggest challenges facing the global poultry industry. For many smallholder farmers in South Africa, these issues are even more pressing, as they struggle to balance production costs with the demand for affordable, nutritious meat.
Against this backdrop, Phethile Emmelina Mabuza, an MSc graduate in animal science from North-West University (NWU), has pioneered a sustainable solution rooted in both innovation and local resources.
The North-West University’s (NWU’s) stand against plastic pollution, launched in 2023, has evolved into an institutionalised environmental policy and the results speak for themselves.
In the first six months of 2025, the NWU recycled 140,6 tons of campus waste, including 36 tons of single-use plastic. This reflects reduced plastic bottle consumption and increased recycling efforts prompted by the initiatives, according to Percy Sehaole, specialist in environmental management and coordinator of the campaign against plastic waste.
Two places on the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans list for 2025 have been filled by education academics associated with the North-West University (NWU).
They are Dr Makhura Benjamin Rapanyane, a senior lecturer in political studies and international relations at the NWU, and Dr Monicca Thulisile Bhuda, an NWU alumnus and lecturer at the University of Mpumalanga.
Both were recognised in the education category of the 200 Young South Africans list.
In what has been dubbed an “accountability forum”, where pressing questions were asked about the future of South Africa, the North-West University (NWU) hosted the Youth 20 (Y20) Postgraduate Day at its Mahikeng Campus on 19 August.
The gathering was part of the NWU’s biennial Research and Innovation Week, which this year was aligned with South Africa’s presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) and emphasises solidarity, equality and sustainability.
Fresh from a 1-0 home victory over the Central University of Technology (CUT), the North-West University’s (NWU’s) footballers are heading into their next clash with confidence but not complacency.
On Thursday, 21 August, the NWU team comes up against one of Varsity Football’s top four sides, the University of Pretoria (Tuks). The NWU will be hosting the match at its Mahikeng stadium.
A dedicated team of third-year law students from the North-West University (NWU), representing the NWU team, won their first-ever annual Juta Mock Trials competition. The NWU team, consisting of members across all three campuses of the NWU, argued for the state in the final round of the competition against the Potchefstroom second-year law team, who were representing the defence in an robbery case.
Dr Thapelo ChaaCha, deputy director of the School of Industrial Psychology and Human Resource Management at the Vanderbijlpark Campus of the North-West University (NWU), will be among the distinguished speakers at the HR Leadership & Strategy Summit 2025, taking place in person from 20 to 21 August 2025 at the NH Johannesburg, Sandton.
and by Oscar Mosiane
The ability to spell is alive and well, as 100 high school learners demonstrated when they participated in a spelling bee at the Mahikeng Campus of the North-West University (NWU).
The event, held on Saturday, 16 August 2025, was a partnership between the NWU and the North West Department of Education.