Genomic medicine promises to revolutionise healthcare, but Africa remains dangerously underrepresented in the data that drives it. This gap leaves thousands of families without answers and, too often, without hope. At the North-West University’s (NWU) Mitochondria Research Laboratory and the National Metabolomics Platform, Dr Maryke Schoonen is determined to change that.
South Africans tend to think of retirement in rands and cents. Yet, research by Lulama Mabala suggests that what people do with their time after leaving work is just as critical as how they fund it.
Women in leadership positions should strive to be role models for younger women coming up through the ranks, always standing for ethics and integrity. This was the message from top women leaders who spoke at an event hosted by the North-West University (NWU) Business School to mark the conclusion of Women’s Month.
The celebration of women in leadership, with a particular focus on women shaping the public sector with courage and integrity, was held at the Mahikeng Protea Hotel on 29 August.
Dr Rorisang Machailo, senior lecturer and deputy director at the School of Nursing at the North-West University (NWU), has been recognised as a top 3 finalist in the Women in Academic Administration category of the 2025 Higher Education Women Leaders (HEWL) Awards.
This honour highlights her outstanding leadership and dedication to advancing mental health education and equity in South Africa’s higher-education sector.
The North-West University (NWU) Technology Transfer and Innovation Support (TTIS) office is proud to celebrate the achievements of Dr Mariaan Wicks, a senior lecturer in Dietetics and a woman innovator whose work is transforming the way South Africans understand their food.
In celebration of the Women’s Month 2025 theme of the North-West University (NWU), “Empowered to Lead: NWU Women Shaping the Future”, the Technology Transfer and Innovation Support (TTIS) office proudly showcases the achievements of women innovators who are transforming society through practical solutions. Leading this charge is Prof Erica Derbyshire, a chartered accountant and academic, whose pioneering research has resulted in the Financial Literacy Survival Toolkit, a practical resource designed to equip owners of small and micro enterprises with essential financial skills.
By Nikelo Mehlomakulu
The bold march by 20 000 women against apartheid laws in 1956 is still reverberating today. That march was the inspiration behind the Women’s Month event that the North-West University’s School of Governance hosted at the Mahikeng Campus on 21 August.
On 8 August 2025, the Sports Village at the Potchefstroom Campus was the setting as the School of Nursing hosted a Women’s Day celebration together with the NuMIQ research entity.
The theme, “Be yourself”, encouraged women who balance careers, families and research to embrace their identity.
The deputy director of the School of Nursing, Dr Khumo Shopo, told the gathering: “You are capable of doing extraordinary things. You are authors, innovators and trailblazers.”
“So amazing how this world was made, I wonder if God is a woman. The gift of life astounds me to this day. Give it up for the woman, oh, that woman. With a smile and a style, she’ll protect you like a child, that’s a woman.”
These powerful lyrics from Shaggy’s Strength of a Woman perfectly captured the spirit of the Faculty of Humanities at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Potchefstroom Campus’ Women’s Month celebration, which was wrapped in gratitude and admiration.
In celebration of Women’s Month, the North-West University (NWU) hosted a vibrant and thought-provoking Women’s Day celebration on Friday, 8 August 2025 under the theme “Personal branding – Leadership branding master class”.
Held at the Mahikeng Campus and livestreamed to the Potchefstroom and Vanderbijlpark campuses, the hybrid event focused on empowering women through leadership, branding and growth.