3 October 2025- The North West University (NWU), through the Indigenous Language Media in Africa (ILMA) research niche area, in collaboration with the Tim Modise Foundation, will host a special public lecture. The lecture, titled: “Perspectives on the broadcast media as the cultural expression of the democratic South Africa”, will explore the powerful role of media in shaping cultural identity in the country’s democratic era.
The NWU Communications Manager (Mahikeng campus), Oscar Mosiane said, for Modise, this occasion represents a homecoming. Mosiane said his illustrious broadcasting career began at Radio Bop in Mahikeng before he rose to national prominence as an anchor of leading programmes such as Good Morning South Africa, Agenda, Lekgotleng le Modise, Modise ka 9, and the historic election broadcasts of 1994 and 1999.
“Over more than three decades, Modise has worked across multiple platforms including SABC TV and Radio, eNCA, Business Day TV, Radio 702, SAFM, Metro FM, BBC Radio, Soweto TV, M-Net Carte Blanche, and Radio Bop. He has received numerous accolades, including being named SABC Broadcaster of the Year (1991), his induction into the South African Radio Hall of Fame (2011), and the Reconciliation Award from the Institute of Reconciliation and Justice conferred by the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
“Internationally, he was honoured with the Human Rights Award by the Jaime Brunet Foundation at the University of Navarra in Spain. The event will take place at Building A1, Room 261, Mahikeng Campus, North West University on 6 October 2025 at 12pm,” he said.
30 January 2025- The North West University (NWU), in partnership with the North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, held an extensive three-day workshop on beef beneficiation and goat aggregation from 22 to 24 January at the Mahikeng Campus’ Molelwane Farm.
The workshop aimed to equip agricultural stakeholders in the province with the essential tools and knowledge to conceptualise and establish an Agri Hub that will serve the community effectively. The department’s delegation was headed by North West MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Madoda Sambatha.
The event also featured notable attendees, including Kgosi Phenyo Motshegare, representing the Barolong Boora Motshegare tribe in Lokaleng, well-known breeder Dr Monty Chiepe, and farmers Andrew Aphane, Mompati Kgomanyana-Modimogale, and Mike Gcabo who shared their practical experiences.
Sambatha emphasised the importance of the Agri Hub concept and the university’s potential leadership in this initiative. He pointed out that the university has a wealth of researchers who can significantly contribute to the establishment of the Agri Hub within the province.
“It is highly advantageous for this project to be directed by the NWU, as it will remain insulated from disruptions caused by changes in administration or the MEC. Such transitions often hinder the success of projects due to resulting shifts in priorities at the leadership level,” he said.
NWU delegates under the leadership of Prof David Modise, executive dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, also shared a presentation. Modise emphasised the university’s mission and stated that this collaboration is both timely and essential.
“The primary objective is to coordinate all stakeholders to work together to improve livestock quality for the benefit of communities and farmers. This workshop represents the first phase of our efforts.
“In the future, we may consider expanding to include additional commodities, while staying mindful of the memorandum of understanding between the university and the department, and our collaboration with the colleges of agriculture within the province,” he said.
NWU honorary doctorate recipient, Chiepe, an esteemed earth scientist, social entrepreneur, and farmer from Botswana, expressed his satisfaction in sharing his expertise for the Agri Hub initiative.
“I am collaborating with the university and the department to outline a programme specifically designed to support farmers, particularly in the beef and goat sectors. Our objective is to ensure that small-scale and subsistence farmers derive benefits from the value chain, enabling them to advance towards becoming commercial farmers.”
Farmer Andrew Aphane of Aphamo Boerdery delivered a presentation on the management of feedlots, abattoirs, and the comprehensive value chain that has the potential to benefit the residents of North West Province once the Agri Hub is operational.
“The Agri Hub will serve as a centre of excellence dedicated to enhancing livestock genetics, optimising animal feed, and facilitating research.
“It will provide farmers access to significant research outcomes, enabling them to adopt methodologies that have been validated by experts as effective,” he said.
Motshegare commended the collaborative efforts of the NWU and the department for their shared vision that promises to benefit the entire province.
“As traditional leaders, we are encouraged by initiatives of this nature that aim to enhance our communities. We anticipate significant improvements in our agricultural fields and livestock, and we are prepared to provide the necessary support to ensure the success of this project,” he said.
The workshop included a comprehensive tour of Molelwane Farm, conducted by the Farm Manager, Hannes Lombard. Lombard provided participants with an overview of the current farm activities and the existing structures that will be utilised when the Agri Hub becomes operational.
This three-day workshop successfully brought together representatives from the agricultural sector, traditional leadership, government, academia, and local communities. Consequently, a concept document was developed to guide implementation efforts.
29 November 2024- On Thursday, the North West University (NWU), conferred an honorary doctorate on the renowned economist, Prof Raymond Parsons. The honorary doctorate was awarded in recognition of the exceptional contribution Parsons has made to the country throughout his distinguished career.
As an organised business leader, academic, media personality, economic commentator and author among others, he has done ground-breaking work on the development and refinement of the NWU Policy Uncertainty Index, the first of its kind in South Africa.
Parsons has also made a significant contribution to thought leadership at the NWU Business School, helping to keep the school and the university at the centre of discussions and debates about South Africa’s economic and political choices and future.
He said: “At the outset, I must convey my deepest thanks to the university Council and management for the honour of receiving an honorary doctorate from the university today.
“I am extremely grateful and humbled to have joined the distinguished list of previous recipients of honorary degrees from this esteemed institution. But, there are many others to whom I owe my thanks and gratitude.”
He further said he sees this prestigious award as recognition of the important role that economics and economists play in making South Africa a better place in which to live and work, especially given the country’s well-known and formidable challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality.
Parsons added that often described as the ‘queen of social sciences’, economics tries to answer the fundamental question of how best to satisfy the unlimited wants and desires of society using limited available resources.
Professor Babs Surujlal, who is the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences shared the same sentiments. Surujlal said, renowned for his deep expertise, Parsons is widely recognised as an authority on the South African economy and its implications for the business community.
“Parsons has had a distinguished career as a leading South African economist, respected for his political independence. This impartiality has enabled him to engage critically with economic policies across various administrations, earning a reputation for balanced, objective analysis.
“His non-partisan approach has enriched public understanding and solidified his credibility over decades. By upholding rigorous analysis and open dialogue, Parsons has achieved lasting influence as a trusted policy advisor and economic commentator, respected across sectors and political divides,” he said.
Meanwhile, Parsons is currently a Professor at the NWU Business School. He is also Chairperson of the Advisory Board of the Business School.
He studied economics at the universities of Cape Town, Oxford and Copenhagen before playing a leading role in organised business in South Africa for many years. Parsons is a former Director-General of the South African Chamber of Business (SACOB).
Until 2012, he was the deputy CEO of BUSA and subsequently a special policy adviser to that organisation until April 2014. He has also lectured at the Department of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of Pretoria.
From 2000 to 2003, he was a visiting professor at the School of Economic and Business Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand. Parsons was the overall business convenor at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) until 2010.
This is the major social dialogue institution in South Africa. He is a key contributor to public and academic debate on a broad spectrum of issues of critical importance to the political economy of South Africa. He is a recognised authority on the South African economy and its implications for the business community.
The Guardian 