Roughly 384 400 km from the pale blue dot we call Earth hangs an orb that has fascinated humanity for millennia. The Moon is our planet’s only natural satellite and is about a quarter of Earth’s size. Only 12 people set foot on it between 1969 and 1972, but more than 50 years later the Artemis programme aims to add to that number.

In early March, NASA’s Artemis II mission will carry four astronauts on a lunar flyby during a 10-day trip, with later missions set to put feet back on the Moon’s surface.

The Emfuleni Local Municipality reaffirmed its commitment to community engagement and student success by awarding bursaries to two North-West University (NWU) students during a ceremony held recently at its offices in Vanderbijlpark.

Hosted in partnership with MAXPROF and EST Sourcing, the event celebrated academic excellence while reinforcing the shared responsibility of government, higher education and industry to invest in young people and strengthen local communities through education.

The North-West University (NWU) continues to strengthen its footprint in national and international education spaces following the appointment of Ms Kgothatso Mafiri, project coordinator responsible for community engagement at the Mahikeng Campus, as the national coordinator of recognition of prior learning (RPL).

The North-West University (NWU) Vanderbijlpark Campus, through the office of the campus chief director, recently hosted a Campus Connect Breakfast that brought together staff members, academic leaders and student representatives for a morning of reflection, alignment and renewed commitment to institutional excellence.

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.