Humanities

How to unlock the job market for IKS graduates

In the corridors of higher learning, indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) has emerged as a growing academic discipline. But in the job market, its graduates often meet closed doors and puzzled employers. A new study by a recent NWU PhD graduate, Dr Mamello Anna Hlabe uncovers the disconnect between the classroom and the labour market and the consequences for those holding IKS degrees.

“What I wanted to understand was whether the limited job prospects I experienced were unique to me,” says Dr Hlabe. “What I found is that it’s a wider, systemic issue.”

Submitted on Wed, 06/11/2025 - 15:01

Alumnus co-edits landmark books on indigenous knowledge systems

By Mokgothu Phenyo and Motsamai Gofaone

Indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) are receiving growing academic recognition as a valid and valuable body of knowledge. An important factor in this is the contribution of scholars such as Dr Monicca Thulisile Bhuda, an alumnus of the North-West University (NWU).

She has recently co-edited two academic books on IKS, both published by IGI Global, headquartered in the United States, and accredited by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in South Africa.

Submitted on Mon, 06/09/2025 - 08:41

How second-hand clothing paved the way for senior lecturer’s career

By Gofaone Motsamai

The road from Kagiso, where she sold second-hand clothing under the scorching Gauteng sun, to the lecture halls of North-West University (NWU) was long, bumpy and deeply personal for Dr Salphinah Vuloyimuni Ubisi.

Now a senior lecturer in the subject group Public Administration and Local Government at the NWU, Dr Ubisi’s story began in hardship and determination. “The money generated from selling old clothes became my main source of income and this provided the core finance for my studies.”.

Submitted on Wed, 06/04/2025 - 10:47

Setlogolo sa Bahurutshe booManyane leads the revival of Setswana culture

As the African continent marks Africa Month Africa Day on 25 May, a remarkable story of cultural resilience and leadership is unfolding in the North West Province.

Khumo Feni, a graduate from the first cohort of the Bachelor of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (B.IKS) programme at the North-West University (NWU), is taking centre stage in the documentation and preservation of Batswana indigenous knowledge systems (IKS).

Submitted on Fri, 05/30/2025 - 10:02

Transforming housing research into an exploration of personal and cultural rediscovery

By Gofaone Motsamai

Years of study, fieldwork and reflection have culminated in a book that combines experience and policy on a touchy subject in South Africa, housing.

Dr Salphinah Vuloyimuni Ubisi, a lecturer in the subject group Public Administration and Local Government at the North-West University (NWU), described how her work had evolved into a project that reconnected her with her heritage during a seminar on 15 May.

Submitted on Thu, 05/29/2025 - 08:05

Ambassador Sandra Kramer highlights the strength of EU-South Africa partnership

On 19 May 2025, the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus hosted a distinguished public lecture on European Union (EU) - South African relations, featuring Her Excellency Mrs Sandra Kramer, EU ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, and Mr Fulgencio Garrido Ruiz, EU deputy ambassador.

Submitted on Wed, 05/28/2025 - 08:55

Chief whip of the North-West Legislature earns her master’s in communication

The North-West University (NWU) has once again shown it is the knowledge hub of choice in the province. The latest high-profile graduate is the North West Legislature’s chief whip, Motlalepue Ziphorah Rosho, who received her master’s degree in communication at the recent graduation ceremony held at the Mahikeng Campus’s Great Hall. A former member of the Executive Committee for Finance in the province, Motlalepue was also a spokesperson for the North West Department of Agriculture.

Submitted on Mon, 05/19/2025 - 16:14