Soft notes floated through the afternoon air like a gentle breeze across lavender fields. The scent of sunflowers and the glow of golden light transformed Prof Paul Smit’s home into a small corner of Provence, carrying guests on a journey of music, memory and quiet celebration.

On Saturday, 13 September, Prof Smit, associate professor in the School for Industrial Psychology and Human Resource Management at the North-West University (NWU), hosted the second house concert in memory of his late wife, Elmain.

By Jalize Fourie

The Faculty of Humanities at North-West University (NWU) took a bold step into the future of research and innovation with the official launch of its Centre for Digital Humanities (CDH) on Friday, 19 September, at the Riverside Sun Hotel in Vanderbijlpark.

On 19 August 2025, the university hosted a transformative sustainability workshop aimed at strengthening pathways for female students into impactful careers. With support from the British Council South Africa, the event created an inspiring platform for students to engage with practitioners, explore career options, and build the skills required to drive meaningful change.

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” Desmond Tutu.

Community engagement is about people meeting people and sharing knowledge. It is done to touch lives, strengthen human connections, and remind us that learning has its deepest meaning when it serves others. Helping others is not just an act; it is a gift of compassion and a quiet way to leave the world better than we found it.

One of South Africa’s most experienced news broadcasters, Tim Modise, returns to the place where his career started, Mahikeng, to deliver a public lecture on how the media have shaped cultural identify in democratic South Africa.

The lecture on 6 October is a collaboration between the Journalism Sub-programme of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Indigenous Language Media in Africa (ILMA) research niche area and the Tim Modise Foundation.

By Gofaone Motsamai

With fewer than half the people requiring treatment for mental health getting it, traditional healers could be the answer to South Africa’s pressing mental health challenges.

This is one the findings of Goratileona Mashishi’s master’s study on the perceptions of Mahikeng community members on the role of the Mahikeng Provincial Hospital in dealing with mental health.

He recently completed a Master of Social Sciences degree in sociology at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus.

The Optentia research unit, in collaboration with the People and Culture department at the North-West University (NWU), recently honoured a group of exceptional academic mentors and mentees who completed the university’s flagship development programmes: Being a Successful Academic Mentor and Being a Successful Academic Mentee.

Between February 2024 and June 2025, several cohorts of the programmes were hosted, collectively training 75 academic mentors and 77 mentees across the NWU’s faculties and campuses.

• Dr Casper Lötter: “Tenderpreneurs only care for their profits and have no regard for the crises in public safety that they have unleashed.”

• “It is imperative that all South Africans resist the revival of this American monster known as the Prison-Industrial-Complex on South African soil.”

• “In this struggle against crime, Groenewald deserves our full support.”

Joubert Schoeman has achieved a lifelong dream by signing his official Springbok Sevens contract. He went from being a player for the North-West University (NWU) Eagles to becoming a national rugby star.

Schoeman, a BCom Honours student in Management Accounting, was a key player in the Springbok Sevens "A" side that won the prestigious Rugby Africa Sevens Cup in Mauritius, where he showcased his exceptional sporting prowess on the pitch.

From Ghana to South Africa, similarities in health, education and social policy programmes have raised questions about how public concerns over foreign nationals shape solidarity across the continent.