By Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU).

I remember Friday evenings in Pennsylvania. I was a young South African studying nuclear engineering at Penn State. My wife and I would go to Red Lobster, and I would sit across from her thinking about home.

For generations, millions of people have looked at world maps that make Africa appear smaller than it really is. A recent United Nations (UN) resolution has put that distortion under fresh scrutiny and sparked debate about how the world should be mapped.

From the classrooms of the Mahikeng Campus of the North-West University (NWU) to the leadership of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) of South Africa, Leonard Gaoretelelwe Lekgetho’s journey is one of perseverance, academic excellence and a lifelong commitment to public service.

A childhood spent caring for goats has become the foundation of a business venture for the North-West University (NWU) student Agobakwe Tau “Deman” Diphoko. Starting with just five goats, he is building Ane-Man Pty Ltd, a goat-milk enterprise that combines agriculture, logistics and entrepreneurship. 

North-West University (NWU) nuclear forensics expert Dr Tebogo Kupi has added his expertise to national efforts to strengthen the response by South Africa to incidents involving radioactive and nuclear materials.

Dr Kupi recently took part as an expert in the National Workshop on Radiological Crime Scene Management. The workshop ran from 31 August to 4 September 2026 in Centurion, with practical sessions held at the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa).

Shedding light on a subject is usually positive, but when it comes to the stars, the North-West University (NWU) is giving scientists a clearer view of the night sky by moving its 20-inch optical telescope off the bustling, light-polluted Mahikeng Campus.

The Mahikeng Astronomy Observatory (MAO) 20-inch optical telescope has moved from the fast-developing Mahikeng Campus to the university’s Molelwane Farm, where there is much less light pollution.