How resilient are SA’s female entrepreneurs?

South African policy makers and researchers are in agreement: a thriving small, medium and micro enterprise (SMME) sector is the key to job creation, economic sustainability and ultimately positive growth. With the National Development Plan (NDP) predicting that by 2030 SMMEs will generate 90% of the 11 million new jobs targeted, the future…

Optentia research day: generating and sharing evidence The Optentia Research Focus Area on the North-West University’s campus in Vanderbijlpark, is currently planning a research day on 26 September, themed “Cultivating humanity: Generating and sharing ev

The Optentia Research Focus Area on the North-West University’s campus in Vanderbijlpark, is currently planning a research day on 26 September, themed “Cultivating humanity: Generating and sharing evidence”.

An exhibit from the last Optentia Research Day which took place in 2016.

The…

NWU triumphant in Zodwa Khoza Memorial Women’s Cup

The ladies soccer team of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Vanderbijlpark ended Women’s Month on a high note by winning the annual Zodwa Khoza Memorial Women’s Cup.

The tournament kicked off on National Women’s Day, and saw 10 senior teams and 13 under-17 teams competing for the spoils. The team from Vanderbijlpark took to the…

NWU experts to debate the future of history in SA schools

The future of history as a subject in South African schools is a very contentious topic, especially after the announcement by Minister Angie Motshekga that the history curriculum at school level needs a major overhaul.

This follows after a ministerial task team proposed that history should be made compulsory in the final three years of high…

International conferences boost NWU postgraduate student development

Researchers and postgraduate students of the North-West University (NWU) recently attended the 13th annual International Conference on Management, Finance and Entrepreneurship (ICMFE) as well as the 15th International Conference on Economics and Social Sciences (ICESS) in Johannesburg.

The NWU delegation, representative of the Faculty of…

International expert to facilitate workshop on longitudinal research

The Optentia research focus area at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Vanderbijlpark has quite a busy month ahead. One of the highlights is certainly the workshop by Dr Hannu Savolainen, professor in special education in the Department of Education at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland and extraordinary professor at Optentia.…

An opportunity for constitutional redemption: Zimbabwe, Chamisa and Mnangagwa

Prof Ilyayambwa Mwanawina, a law expert from the North-West University (NWU), shares his opinion on the impending ruling of the Zimbabwean Constitutional Court on the challenge lodged by Nelson Chamisa of the Zimbabwean Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

In this third week of August 2018, the Constitutional Court in Zimbabwe has the…

IT Seminar another first for NWU Vanderbijlpark

Today, 20 August 2018, the North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Computer Science and Information Systems on the campus in Vanderbijlpark will host its first ever IT Seminar.  

The aim of the seminar is to expose senior students in the school to industry trends, demands and opportunities. According to JT Janse van Rensburg, a lecturer and…

Workshop to explore open science and research improvements in positive psychology

This September the Optentia research focus area on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Vanderbijlpark will be hosting a workshop by Dutch expert, Dr Emir Efendić, exploring open science practices and research improvements for positive psychology.

In recent years, psychological science has been under increased scrutiny and…

Unemployment in South Africa: Research findings to feature at Unemployment Symposium

The Optentia research focus area on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Vanderbijlpark and KU Leuven in Belgium, with the financial backing of the Flemish Interuniversity Board, have been investigating the experiences of unemployed people in townships in South Africa for the last five years.

As the project draws closer to reaching…