Prof Blessed Nhlanganiso Ngwenya is the latest expert to join the renowned Optentia research unit of the North-West University (NWU).

Upon graduating from the University of the Witwatersrand with a BA with honours and an MA, he went on to study at the famed University of Oxford in England, where he earned a DPhil in socio-legal studies and a master's degree in legal research.

The passionate academic and researcher is the father of three children; daughter Bulelwa and sons Wandi and Lwandle, who still live in the United Kingdom.

North-West University (NWU) academics recently attended an international conference themed "The Russia–Ukraine Crisis and its Impact on Africa".

The conference, jointly organised by the Institute of African Diaspora Studies (IADS) and GLOTAN Research Services at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, took place on 16 and 17 November 2022.

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) History subject group recently hosted Prof Jill Kelly, assistant professor of History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, USA as part of its history seminar series.

The seminar, held in hybrid format and hosted by the NWU’s Vanderbijlpark Campus, attracted students and staff members across the NWU and external scholars.

Prof Kelly presented a paper titled “A woman doctor and activist: Healing, politics, and policing in the life of Dr Margaret Chuene Mncadi”.

The talent and creativity of students and graduates of the Graphic Design subject group at the North-West University (NWU) have earned them recognition at the recent international Loerie Awards and national Pendoring Awards events.

The NWU’s students and graduates have always shone in these competitions and this year is no exception. Their distinctive creativity and skills have impressed judges and secured them two silver Pendoring awards, a Pendoring craft gold certificate, three Pendoring craft certificates and a bronze Loerie award.

Workers in the public sector are furious with government, accusing it of negotiating “in bad faith” after wage negotiations collapsed following the employer’s 3% wage offer.

Only one of the unions represented, the South African Democratic Teachers Union, has accepted the offer.

Thousands of workers were expected to picket countrywide to demonstrate their unhappiness with the offer on Monday, 31 October. Read more here.

By Oldrin Masowa

Where words fail to deliver the message, music becomes the answer. The North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Music hosted its annual Bursary Winners’ concert to recognise and honour its students for their achievements on 25 October.

Bursaries were awarded to both undergraduate and postgraduate full-time music students, as well as conservatory students who are enrolled for extra-curricular music lessons.

NWU academics visit Utrecht University to explore integrating more digital humanities methods
The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Humanities management recently visited the Centre for Digital Humanities (CDH) at Utrecht University, Amsterdam.

The main aim was to explore the possibility of integrating more digital humanities methods within several education tracks at the NWU.

One of Mahikeng’s well-known journalists, Sosty Rammutla, received a BA communication degree during the North-West University (NWU) graduation ceremony on 11 October 2022 at the Mahikeng Campus.

Sosty says he is truly grateful and proud of this achievement.

“I would like to thank God for His grace, and I dedicate this qualification to my wife who stood by me, to my mother who has been my anchor all my life, and thirdly, to the man that gave me this opportunity in the first place – Prof Dan Kgwadi,” says Sosty.

By Ontiretse Motingwa

For North-West University (NWU) alumnus, Oreneile Mosupyoe, variety is the spice of life.

Oreneile studied sports science but swopped the sports field for the stage when he got into pageantry. He has since won several titles, with the most recent being Mr Tshwane Regions Philanthropist 2022.

Born and bred in Garankuwa, Pretoria, he considers himself an optimist and an all-rounder.

“I have always been a performer and I have participated in drama, dance and poetry from pre-school to varsity.

The Spelling Checkers for South African Languages, a spelling and hyphenation checker tool for ten of South Africa’s official languages, excluding English, is now available to download for free from the website of the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR).