Globally, World Patient Safety Day (WPSD) is celebrated on 17 September to raise awareness on healthcare safety and quality. This initiative by the World Health Organisation (WHO) inspires healthcare professionals to show their commitment to patient safety.
The theme for 2025 is “Safe care for every newborn and every child”, emphasising that each child has the right to safe and quality care from birth.
The North-West University (NWU) joined forces with the Potchefstroom Hospital to host a Patient Safety Seminar at the hospital’s Residence Hall, focusing on strengthening healthcare delivery and improving patient safety.
This seminar showcased innovative research from recent patient safety projects at the Potchefstroom Hospital, addressing how medical facilities handle incident reporting, encourage organisational culture, respond to medical errors and develop strategies for delivering safer and quality care.
The Vaal region came alive recently when the North-West University (NWU) bhive Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) programme opened its doors to the Vaal United Business Forum for a powerful training session on “The Basics of Investing and Investments”. The event was not only a workshop, but also a celebration of women in business, entrepreneurship and leadership.
By Gofaone Motsamai
When Perpetual Umeaku realised that many communities lacked access to health information in a language they could understand, she set out to challenge the status quo and started exploring indigenous languages in health communication.
This focus led her to win the Doctoral Poster Competition at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) 2025 Research and Innovation Week for her study, titled “Examining indigenous language health media potentials for a sustainable future: a multi-stakeholder perspective”.
South Africa’s femicide rate is five times higher than the global average, and one in three women has experienced gender-based violence (GBV) in her lifetime. Increasingly, this violence is no longer confined to physical spaces. It has migrated to digital platforms such as social media, messaging apps and online forums, where abuse is amplified, often anonymously, and even across country borders.
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.
On a quiet morning at the Mahikeng Campus of North-West University (NWU), the halls of the Disability Rights Unit hum with purpose. At the heart of it all is Vida Mutlaneng, a disability coordinator whose presence radiates warmth, compassion and an unwavering commitment to justice.
Affectionately known as Mama Vida or Mother Theresa by the students and university staff, it was not by chance that she came to lead this critical unit. In fact, her journey was both personal and providential.
By Phenyo Mokgothu and Ntokozo Maseko
The North-West University (NWU) Eagles battled hard to secure a 55-41 victory over Maties in a tightly contested Varsity Netball clash.
The first quarter of the match set the tone for a physical encounter as both sides pushed to establish dominance. The NWU showed composure in front of goal and edged ahead 13-9 by the end of the quarter.
Zoe Aidomo Idemudia certainly does not shy away from that answer. From coding challenges to life lessons, she’s proving that girls really do run the world. With a sparkling energy that matches her brilliance, she has made waves in a world that, until recently, felt overwhelmingly male. Zoe obtained her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mathematics degree with 29 distinctions out of 31 modules, and an impressive 86% GPA.
When a research paper leaps from the quiet world of academia into the glare of public debate, it is rarely accidental. For Prof Suranie Horn of the North-West University (NWU), that moment arrived when she and her colleagues revealed that HIV antiretrovirals (ARVs) such as lopinavir and efavirenz were not only saving lives but also seeping into South Africa’s rivers. The study showed that residues downstream of wastewater treatment plants were accumulating in aquatic ecosystems, with troubling consequences.