Health Sciences

Mini-budget is the President’s own deadline on child stunting, say NWU experts

When the Minister of Finance tables the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement on 21 October, one test will be whether it delivers on a promise made to South Africa’s youngest children.

In February’s State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa set a goal of ending child stunting by 2030. More than a quarter of children under five are too short for their age. He said the mini-budget would set out a clear allocation for the plan.

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NWU Nursing students take breast cancer awareness to the community

As breast cancer continues to affect women across towns and communities, early detection remains one of the most powerful tools in the fight against the disease. According to the latest data from the National Cancer Registry (NCR), approximately one in 28 women in South Africa may develop breast cancer during their lifetime. 

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NWU PhD student earns international recognition for occupational hygiene research

A study highlighting a less recognised form of chemical exposure among South African petrol attendants has earned the North-West University (NWU) PhD student Lize van der Westhuizen international recognition.

Lize received the award for the best oral presentation by an early-career researcher at the 10th Occupational and Environmental Exposure of Skin to Chemicals (OEESC) Conference, held in Manchester in the United Kingdom from 14 to 16 September 2026.

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Across faculties and borders: International Teaching Weeks bring global perspectives into classrooms

Academics from across Africa and Europe joined colleagues and students from the North-West University (NWU) for a week of teaching, learning, collaboration and cultural exchange - bringing international perspectives directly into NWU classrooms.

From 14 to 18 September 2026, the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (FEMS) and the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) hosted parallel International Teaching Weeks across NWU’s three campuses. 

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National teaching honour recognises researcher’s passion for student success

A researcher in physiology at the North-West University (NWU) has received one of the highest levels of recognition for excellence in higher education teaching in South Africa. Dr Annemarie Wentzel, senior lecturer and researcher in physiology, is one of only six recipients of the 2026 National Teaching Awards (NUTA). 

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Africa already has answers to its health challenges

Africa does not have to look beyond its borders for every answer to its health challenges. Much of the knowledge, expertise and data needed to find solutions already exist on the continent.

That is the message from North-West University (NWU) physiology professor Lebo Gafane-Matemane, who says Africa's diversity, research expertise and young scholars give the continent a strong base from which to improve health outcomes.

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When the body count becomes a data point: what Kempton Park tells us about the academy we built


By the time this goes to print, the number may have changed again. As I write, at least nine, possibly 10, women have been found dead in and around Kempton Park since mid-July, most half-naked, several with visible bruising, left along the same stretch of the R21 and its surrounding veld. 

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