The good news is that, compared with gross domestic product (GDP) growth rates of 0,8% and 0,5% in 2023 and 2024, respectively, growth improved to 1,1% in 2025.

Prof. Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, says the latest figures for 2025 that were released by StatsSA confirm that South Africa has been experiencing a slow and uneven economic recovery over the past year.

He says household spending continues to do much of the heavy lifting in sustaining economic activity.

After both sides suffered defeats in their previous away fixtures in the Varsity Cup and Young Guns competitions, respectively, the FNB NWU Eagles and FNB Young Guns bounced back in style.

The Eagles fell short in the City of Gold, losing 35-29 to FNB UJ, while the YGs suffered their first home defeat of the season against FNB UCT YGs. Both sides responded with commanding performances on the road with the Eagles FNB Eagles securing a hard-fought win in Bloemfontein and the YGs claiming bragging rights in the Jacaranda City.

The School of Industrial Psychology and Human Resource Management at the North-West University (NWU) marked an important milestone on 6 March 2026 with the official launch of the student chapter of the South African Board for People Practices (SABPP).

The establishment of the chapter strengthens professional development opportunities for students pursuing careers in human resource management and industrial psychology, while creating a direct link between students and the professional body that regulates and promotes ethical HR practices in South Africa.

• From starlight to South Africa’s energy future: Researchers at the North-West University (NWU) are helping position South Africa to harness hydrogen’s potential as a cornerstone of the global clean energy transition.
• Turning sunshine into exportable energy: Through green hydrogen, South Africa could export its abundant renewable energy resources in the form of hydrogen-derived products such as green ammonia.
• Platinum could power the hydrogen economy: With roughly 70–80% of the world’s platinum reserves, South Afri

Paralympic athlete Liezel Gouws broke the T37 female long-jump African record at the Athletics Central North West (ACNW) League meeting on Tuesday 3 March in Potchefstroom, cementing her place in African para-athletics history.

Gouws added another accolade to her decorated career with a leap of 4.78 m, surpassing the previous African record of 4.59 m set by Anais Angeline from Mauritius.

Balancing ecological preservation with tourism development is vital for the future of South Africa’s protected areas. This is one of the lessons North-West University (NWU) honours students learnt during an educational visit to one of Africa’s most iconic nature reserves, the Kruger National Park.

The visit deepened the seven tourism management students’ understanding of nature-based tourism, which brings together conservation and tourism management.

There was a calm sense of purpose at North-West University (NWU) as a high-level delegation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia arrived to explore future collaboration. Warm greetings were exchanged, discussions began with focus and intent and a shared optimism demonstrated the significance of the moment.

The war in Iran is escalating, with Tehran responding to US–Israel attacks with missile and drone strikes across the region. Operation Epic Fury and Israel’s Operation Roaring Lion began on 28 February 2026.

More than 7 000 km to the south, Prof. Barend Prinsloo, Director of the Centre for Geopolitical Security and Strategy at the North-West University (NWU), warns that South Africa will soon feel the effects through energy prices, shipping patterns and political exposure.

From 27 February to 1 March, the 2026 Arcademia international game jam brought together students and academics from several universities for a 48-hour sprint of creativity, collaboration, and technical innovation. Participating institutions were connected through a shared livestream and online collaboration platforms, transforming local venues into nodes of an international game development network.