A university’s ambitions can stretch far beyond its gates. Its finances determine how far those ambitions travel.
For South Africa’s public universities, the challenge is to open their doors to students, support them through their studies and produce research that serves the country. How to sustain that work has consequences well beyond the balance sheet.
Municipalities should be held accountable for failing to adopt practical innovations that could improve service delivery, reduce financial losses and help expose corruption, says Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU).
What if the establishment of an NWU School of Mines and Mining Engineering in Rustenburg became the beginning of something much larger?
What if it opened the door to broader access to university education, stronger healthcare training, executive development, thriving local enterprises and lifelong learning across the region?
That is the scale of ambition this opportunity deserves.
The North-West University (NWU) honoured Kgosi Kgotleng Jeffrey Montshioa, king of the Barolong Boo Ratshidi, for 25 years of traditional leadership and service, while reaffirming the commitment of the university to indigenous knowledge, heritage and meaningful partnerships with traditional communities.
Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, NWU principal and vice-chancellor, delivered the keynote address at Mintek-SCi 2026, the Science Convention of Innovators.
South Africa has trained 3 277 doctors in Cuba, but at a current cost of around R1.62 million per student, Prof. Bismark Tyobeka asks whether a programme created 30 years ago still serves the country's needs.
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.
Africa’s AI ambitions will demand vast amounts of reliable electricity. Prof. Bismark Tyobeka believes nuclear power could provide it.
A two-week visit by United States-based Fulbright specialist Dr Maryalice “Ali” Mazzara has helped the North-West University (NWU) strengthen its focus on global partnerships and leadership development.
The North West Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) and the North-West University (NWU) celebrated the successful completion of the first cohort of 100 graduates in their COGTA-NWU Graduate Programme partnership.