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.
Ideal Healthcare is not only about treating patients but also about being fully present for and with them. This notion was at the heart of an inaugural lecture delivered at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Potchefstroom Campus on 8 August 2025.
Prof Tinda Rabie from the Faculty of Health Sciences presented her lecture titled “Can the light of presence in caring still shine in the health profession through wise and guiding healthcare providers? Absolutely!”
High feed costs and declining meat quality are two of the biggest challenges facing the global poultry industry. For many smallholder farmers in South Africa, these issues are even more pressing, as they struggle to balance production costs with the demand for affordable, nutritious meat.
Against this backdrop, Phethile Emmelina Mabuza, an MSc graduate in animal science from North-West University (NWU), has pioneered a sustainable solution rooted in both innovation and local resources.
A North-West University (NWU) expert in consumer sciences recently served as guest editor for the first special issue of the South African Journal of Science focusing on sustainable food systems in southern Africa.
The countdown is almost over, and the opening game of the 2025 Varsity Netball tournament is set for this Sunday, 24 August at the Maties Coetzenburg Indoor Centrein University of Stellenbosch against Varsity College at 15:00.
The North-West University (NWU) team will be stepping onto the court with more than just ambition; they are bringing months of strategising and training into the competition.