It was a long time coming, but on Wednesday, 19 July, Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African president, officially recognised South African Sign Language as South Africa’s 12th official language.

This makes South Africa only the fourth country in Africa to recognise sign language as an official language and, according to Dr Keaobaka Seshoka, director of the Language Directorate at the North-West University (NWU), it is a belated but very welcome addition to the country’s official language family.

You don’t have to be able to split the atom to know that South Africa – and the world – is facing an energy crisis and that urgent answers are needed to address this pressing problem.

That is why the principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), Prof Bismark Tyobeka, will be part of a panel discussion titled Global Nuclear Power – Implications for South Africa’s Just Energy Transition.

The bodybuilding team from the North-West University (NWU)'s Vanderbijlpark Campus had a successful run at the University Sports South Africa (USSA) provincials, walking away with eight trophies and three medals.

The team's impressive performance included five first-place finishes, one second place, and two third places.

The team's success at the provincials has also led to 11 bodybuilders qualifying to represent the NWU at the national USSA competition in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga from 1 to 3 September.

Women's Month is the ideal opportunity to reflect on the tremendous strides made by women in education and celebrate an intergenerational legacy of academic achievements. What an honour it is to share the inspiring journeys of four generations of female graduates, with three holding master’s degrees. These stories testify to the power of education, the importance of the empowerment of women and the significant impact women can have on future generations.

Hosted from 24 to 28 July at The Roots Lifestyle Centre in Potchefstroom, the MBA Winter Study School of the North-West University (NWU) Business School proved to be an enriching and transformative experience for all involved. The week kicked off with an array of insightful guest speakers, leaving the attendees both inspired and enlightened.

Rothe Plantscapers’ landscaping on the North-West University’s (NWU's) Vanderbijlpark Campus recently scored the garden maintenance company a silver award at the South African Landscape Institute’s (SALI’s) Awards of Excellence ceremony.

As a principal member of the institute, Rothe Plantscapers submitted the Vanderbijlpark Campus as an entry, and their outstanding landscaping work earned them the award for their exemplary performance within the 75% to 84% range.

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Indigenous Language Media in Africa (ILMA) research entity hosted a hybrid public lecture on 3 August 2023 as part of its Annual Public lecture series.

Prof Toyin Omoyeni Falola, holder of the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas in the United States, gave the lecture on the Mahikeng Campus.

The topic of the lecture was “Communication, media, culture, and evolving trends in the world of indigenous languages”.

Following a goalless draw in their first match against the University of Johannesburg during the opening round of Varsity Football, the North-West University (NWU) triumphed with a score of 3-0.

Entering the game with a single-minded focus to secure victory against VUT, their initial attempt at netting a goal materialised just five minutes into the first half – only to be thwarted by the vigilant VUT goalkeeper.

By Menziwa Msibi

Prof Boitumelo Mmusinyane from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Law has been shortlisted as one of eight candidates for the position of public protector of South Africa.

The candidates were shortlisted on 26 July by the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee who is tasked with appointing a replacement for Busisiwe Mkhwebane.

By Zandile Nkosi

South Africans are called to contribute 67 minutes of community service on 18 July each year in honour of Madiba’s legacy. This year’s Mandela Day theme was “Make every day a Mandela Day #itisinyourhands.