The North-West University (NWU), in collaboration with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), was awarded the bid to host the prestigious World Association of Sport Management (WASM) conference in March 2026.

The conference is hosted every three years, and this will be the fifth conference, hosted for the first time on African soil.

The NWU and CPUT plan to co-host the WASM conference at the Newlands Stadium, where the CPUT Sport Management Department offices and lecture halls are located.

They are the best of the best … of the best, sir. The preceding sentence might find its origins in the 1997 science-fiction comedy Men in Black, but there is no denying that the sextet of Joshua van Zyl, Etienne Kruger, Niël Gertenbach, Jean du Toit, Rynhardt Engelbrecht and Henri Kock are a blockbuster engineering team.

In December 2022, these six NWU students won the People’s Prize in the prestigious Engineering Without Borders: Engineering for People Design Challenge and were crowned the overall runners-up of the international competition.

Time is a commodity that does not enjoy equal distribution. What time you have should be optimised, especially in a fast-paced world where the continuous evolution of one’s skills is necessary to stay relevant in the workplace. We live in a world where stagnation is detrimental to our futures. This is where the Unit for Continuing Education (UCE) at the North-West University (NWU) serves to bridge the gap between where we currently are, the time at our disposal and where we want to be.

The North-West University Eagles’ dream start to their Varsity Cup campaign has been shattered. A close 31–28 defeat by Maties on Monday evening, 6 March on the Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds means that the Eagles’ triumphant march of two consecutive wins has now been arrested, but at one stage it looked as if the opposite was happening.

One thousand-millionth of a metre. Or, to put it differently: one billionth of a metre. This unfathomably small number is called a nanometre and the world of nanotechnology operates at between 1 and 100 nanometres. This is also where the North-West University (NWU) is unearthing new ways to combat disease, to help protect the environment and to develop materials that will promote sustainability.

There was silence, except for the death rattle reverberating across the Fanie du Toit sports ground. This was not how it was supposed to start, was it? With barely a minute gone, the University of the Free State (UFS) Shimlas had already crossed the whitewash in their Varsity Cup clash against the North-West University (NWU) Eagles in Potchefstroom on 27 February.

A year of review, reflection, and new frontiers is an appropriate theme for 2023. This is according to Prof Robert Balfour, deputy vice-chancellor for teaching and learning during the Official Academic Opening of the North-West University (NWU).

The opening ceremonies took place across the NWU’s three campuses on 24 February 2023.

Prof Balfour said that the university’s senior management considered a range of initiatives to enable staff to make a greater impact nationally.

South Africa’s heightened global risk status due to greylisting unfortunately dents an investment profile already grappling with factors such as the negative impact of aggressive load-shedding, lack of energy security, ongoing junk status and other uncertainties.

Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, in commenting on the decision by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to greylist South Africa, says although it has been widely expected for some months, it is bad news that South Africa’s present vulnerable economy can do without.

It was as unexpected as a lightning bolt on a sunny day. The North-West University (NWU) Eagles were playing against Wits in a warm-up game a few months ago.

Talismanic captain Ruan “Sampie” Swiegers was leading the charge. The tighthead prop had cemented his position as the Eagles’ de facto leader, having captained the Eagles during the 2022 Varsity Cup. Then, tragedy struck. He busted his knee.

With the 2023 Varsity Cup looming and time not a commodity to be wasted – the Eagles played their first game on 20 February – a leader was needed.

The 2023 Budget speech was a surprise-free, pragmatic and credible response to a challenging set of global and domestic economic circumstances.

Prof Raymond Parsons, an economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, commented on the 2023 Budget introduced to parliament by the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana.

“Although having received some windfall tax-revenue gains, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana still had a difficult balancing act given the political and economic constraints within which he had to shape fiscal policy.”