Willie du Plessis

Taken prisoner, isolated from loved ones and incarcerated with thousands of others in lice-infested camps.

This was the reality for many German men living in South Africa and South West Africa during the Second World War, when the government of former Prime Minister Jan Smuts held them in internment camps.

A new donation to the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Library Services focuses on what life was like for these men during their incarceration.

As South Africans brace for a likely fourth wave of Covid-19 around November, the North-West University (NWU) is keeping the channels of communication open in a sea of confusion.

The institution hosted an online webinar on 31 August 2021 during which various issues were discussed with senior employees, partners and members of the business community. These issues included the NWU’s continued operations, the impact of Covid-19 on students, staff and communities, safety and transformation matters as well as a myriad of business-related concerns.

Preparations are well under way for one of the most important upcoming events in the academic life of the North-West University (NWU): the external institutional audit that will be conducted in August 2022.

The NWU’s institutional audit is part of a series of audits planned for higher education institutions under the ambit of the Council on Higher Education (CHE), which recently announced an action plan and broad framework for the institutional audits.

Thabang Vincent Tlale, North-West University (NWU) Student Representative Council secretary-general and NWU Mahikeng Student Campus Council chairperson, was recently elected to serve as a member of the national executive committee (NEC) of the South African Union of Students (SAUS) for the term 2021/23.

Thabang will serve as the chair of the research and community engagement committee during his term.
 “I am planning to make a mark in the transformation of the higher education landscape in South Africa,” says Thabang.

With two new online exhibitions, the North-West University (NWU) Gallery is still committed to entertaining art lovers from the safety of their own homes. 

It is currently showcasing The Smile Artists Africa’s “Mantariana Mbokodo Musings” and Ms Simone’s “NOT ANOTHER HAIR SHOW” online exhibitions from 9 August to 17 September.

You strike a woman, you strike a rock

Livestock farmers in the North West Province are being urged to apply all possible security measures and avoid the introduction of new bulls without sanitary control.

This is necessary to prevent the spread of a bacterial infection that causes abortion, infertility and other reproductive ailments in cattle – and could potentially be passed into the human food chain.

The advent of social media has brought about the democratisation of communication. The public who has always been consumers of messages has now also become producers since social media is open to everyone who has a device, an account, and data or access to the internet.

During June, which is Pride Month, LGBT communities and their allies come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves.

South Africa's self-registration vaccination portal for citizens aged 60 and above commenced in mid-April. So far, the process of registration for the group has been very low due to variety of reasons.