By Gosego Phutieagae

A North-West University (NWU) law student has claimed top honours at the 2025 Martin Luther King Spoken Word Competition held on 9 October at Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam.

Thabang Mnculwane, an LLB student currently participating in the NWU Faculty of Law Academic Exchange Programme in Amsterdam, won the contest hosted by VU’s Faculty of Law as part of the annual Martin Luther King Lecture series.

By Mzwandile Ndlovu

Labour migration has featured prominently in South Africa since diamonds and gold were discovered in the 1800s. Migration continues today as people move cross South Africa and Africa in search of new opportunities and a better life.

The subject of migration that took centre stage at a colloquium hosted by North-West University’s (NWU) Population and Health research niche area on 23 and 24 October 2025.

The theme of the event, held at the Mahikeng Campus, was “Migration and development research”.

“At NWU Sport, our passion is sport, and we are privileged to make our passion our work.” 

These were the words of Mervyn Taylor, manager of the NWU Rugby Institute, as he concluded the North-West University (NWU) Sports Awards on 21 October. His statement captured the spirit of an evening that celebrated commitment, teamwork and excellence across all sporting codes at the university. 

When farmers face pests that damage their crops, many turn to chemical sprays. They often do not realise that indigenous plant-based practices can protect crops naturally, and that pest-control solutions already exist within traditional farming knowledge.

The use of chemicals is one of the common ways of managing pests. However, these chemicals have negative effects on the environment, are expensive, and often unaffordable for small-scale farmers.

The North-West University (NWU) honoured ten remarkable professionals at its prestigious biennial Alumni Excellence Awards ceremony held in Pretoria on 30 October.

This year’s distinguished honourees include veteran South African actor Hans Strydom, World Cup cricket star Tazmin Brits, and health economist Prof James Avoka Asamani, among others.

Through the Alumni Excellence Awards, the NWU recognises exceptional alumni whose work is making a lasting impact in their respective fields and in society.

By Prof Linda du Plessis

Donors and industry partners play a vital role in keeping dreams alive at the North-West University (NWU). This was highlighted at the annual Donors and Stakeholders Luncheon, held in Pretoria on 28 October, at which the university expressed its deep appreciation for these invaluable partnerships.

Two leading scholars from the North-West University (NWU) took centre stage at the International Conference on Emerging Trends in Psychosocial Well-being (ETPW2025), hosted by the University of Namibia. Their contributions highlighted the critical link between decent jobs, mental health and human flourishing – issues at the heart of national productivity and sustainable development.

The North-West University (NWU) Business School is proud to announce the extraordinary appointments of Dr Yuanyuan (Gina) Cui and Dr Patrick van Esch, both from the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration at the Coastal Carolina University. Their appointments bring exceptional expertise, research leadership and global academic distinction to the NWU Business School community.

South Africa’s transport sector stands at a critical crossroads: unless urgent investment and private-sector participation are channelled into public transport infrastructure, the country’s economy will continue to stagnate.

North-West University (NWU) transport economist Dr Olebogeng Baikgaki says GDP growth for 2025 is expected to be limited to between 0,9% and 1,3%, and the outlook is poor if decaying infrastructure and inefficiencies are not addressed.