Awards and accolades

The BUA! Poetry Slam competition fuels creativity

The North-West University’s (NWU's) Creative Writing subject group in the School of Languages recently hosted its very first BUA! Poetry Slam at the NWU Gallery on the Potchefstroom Campus.

More than 100 students showed up to the first of three events across campuses before the intercampus final. The second preliminary, scheduled for 3 May 2023, will be held on the Vanderbijlpark Campus, and the third one will be held in August on the Mahikeng Campus.

The winners from each campus will then take part in the final poetry slam at the end of the year.

Submitted on Fri, 04/21/2023 - 14:40

Celebrity journalist and NWU alumnus traces his ancestors’ steps

Celebrity journalist and alumnus of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus, Lesley Mofokeng, recently launched a book, The Man Who Shook Mountains: In the Footsteps of My Ancestors.

Written over three years and published by Jonathan Ball Publishers, the book explores the life of his grandfather, Mongangane Wilfred Mofokeng, a prominent Dutch Reformed Church evangelist. His grandfather built a community in the Gelukspan area in Ditsobotla, North-West after black landowners were evicted in the 1950s from the cities to live in reserves and homelands.

Submitted on Tue, 04/18/2023 - 15:16

Best paper award for NWU academic

North-West University academic Dr Ankit Katrodia’s paper – titled “Generation Y’s perception towards and actual usage of African language radio Stations in South Africa” – recently earned him the Best Paper Award at the 3rd International Conference on Leveraging Industry 5.0: Sustainability, Innovation and Disruption that took place in Mumbai, India.

In the paper, co-authored by Dr Katrodia and his master’s student, Nkosinathi Ntuli, Dr Katrodia said that radio broadcasting is the most consumed form of broadcast media in the world.

Submitted on Fri, 04/14/2023 - 11:38

Debate Union team takes part in Jozi Rumble Tournament

The Debating Union on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus took part in the annual Jozi Rumble Tournament, hosted by the University of Witwatersrand from 7 to 9 April 2023.

The Jozi Rumble is a significant part of African debating history. The tournament explores the developmental aspects of African debating, and promote a culture of excellence. This year marked the 11th rendition of the tournament.

The Mahikeng Campus was represented by team members Abel Kayeye and Orefile Babeile and adjudicator Sandile Mbizeni.

Submitted on Thu, 04/13/2023 - 11:44

Short story one of only three in SA shortlisted for prestigious prize

A student from the North-West University (NWU) is one of 28 writers from 19 countries whose short story has been shortlisted by an international judging panel for the 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

Matshediso Radebe, a third-year communication student at the NWU’s Potchefstroom Campus, is also one of only three writers from South Africa ― and one of only six writers from Africa ― who has been shortlisted for the prestigious prize.

Submitted on Tue, 04/11/2023 - 15:11

Chartered accountants excel nationally

The North-West University (NWU) continues to deliver chartered accounting students of the highest calibre, as is evident from the recently released results of the Initial Test of Competence (ITC) of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Namibia (ICAN), which was written in January.

Submitted on Tue, 04/04/2023 - 12:14

Newly discovered frog species named after Prof Louis du Preez

Prof Louis du Preez, professor of zoology at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University (NWU), was honoured by having a newly discovered Malagasy frog species named after him.

The honour was bestowed by a group of German scientists from the University of Braunschweig, Landesmuseum in Darmstadt, and the Zoological Museum in München, in recognition of Prof du Preez’s substantial contributions to understanding the flatworm parasites of Malagasy anurans.

Submitted on Tue, 04/04/2023 - 08:12

NWU students battle it out for Hult prize

This year, North-West University (NWU) students showed their mettle during the on-campus qualifying round of the 2023 Hult Prize competition.

This international competition challenges young people to solve the world’s most pressing issues through social entrepreneurship. Every year, the best team globally receives $1 000 000 in funding to make their idea a reality.

Submitted on Fri, 03/31/2023 - 10:50