Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana is set to present the Budget Speech for the 2024/25 fiscal year on 21 February 2024. Providing insights into the anticipated announcements, renowned economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, Prof Raymond Parsons, shares his perspectives on what South Africans can expect from this crucial address.

Prof Parsons says budgets always require a delicate balancing act and the 2024 budget, although being crafted in very difficult economic circumstances, ultimately also remains an exercise in political economy.

The tennis courts on the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University (NWU) will once again play host to some of the world’s top junior players when two ITF J100 tournaments serve their first volleys on 26 February.

ITF is an acronym for the International Tennis Federation, which is the governing body of world tennis.

The tournaments, the last of which will conclude on 8 March, will once again showcase the NWU’s world-class facilities and underline why the university is the preferred destination for international athletes and events.

Prof Stefan Siebert from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences was awarded the prestigious South African Association of Botanists (SAAB) Silver Medal at the recent 49th Annual SAAB conference at the University of Zululand’s Richard’s Bay Campus. This prestigious award was made in acknowledgement of his remarkable contributions to the field of botany in South Africa.

His name is Schalk, Schalk Pretorius. And if it had not been for Schalk Pretorius, the North-West University (NWU) would have lost a tennis champion.

Many years ago, in the maize farming community of Bothaville, a young Schalk decided that he wanted to play tennis. Very well, said Mom Erika and Dad Vickus, you will play tennis. If the one child plays, the other one does too, and Schalk’s three-year-old sister Suzanie – still more toddler than person – also received a racket in the hand.

She is by no means overly tall, and on the netball court she is often surrounded by skyscrapers. However, heart and courage are not measured in centimetres, and Martiné Jordaan from the North-West University (NWU) is a firebrand on the court.

She has even caught the eye of the selectors for the Protea team, and from 22 to 28 January she was part of a national training camp in Stellenbosch.

Here her fearlessness was clearly apparent, but she says she undergoes a metamorphosis when she leaves the court.

On Thursday, 16 April 2023, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the Super Pressure Balloon, carrying the Super Pressure Balloon Imaging Telescope (SuperBIT), from Wanaka, New Zealand. The SuperBIT operates in the stratosphere at an altitude of 40 kilometres above sea level.

Prof Jan de Kock from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Engineering clinched the Best Paper Award at the recent Southern African Universities Power Engineering Conference (SAUPEC 2024).

The conference, jointly hosted by Stellenbosch University and the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE), serves as a premier regional platform bringing together industry experts, academics and students in the fields of engineering, computer science, and information technology.

On Monday, 18 December 2023 the North-West University (NWU) and the Mine Health and Safety Council (MHSC) engaged in a discussion aimed at promoting collaboration and fostering a relationship that will benefit both parties.

The meeting took place at the office of the of the vice-chancellor in Building F1 on the Potchefstroom Campus, with both parties agreeing on a commitment to signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on a pre-agreed basis in February 2024.

“Take a break, please!” shouts coach Riaan Venter to the players under his direct supervision on the court at the Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds. It is mid-January, a month and a bit removed from the triumph of the North-West University (NWU) Eagles at the University Sports South Africa (USSA) tennis tournament in Makhanda, formerly known as Grahamstown.

In a delightful showcase of musical talent, North-West University (NWU) lecturer Thomas Erlank and second-year BA student Sisikelelwe Mngenela took the spotlight as soloists in Salon Music's enchanting Christmas Concert recording.

The recording took place in Studio M1 at the SABC in Johannesburg. Accompanied and guided by Dr Antoinette Olivier, the duo's outstanding performance promises to mesmerise audiences nationwide.