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.”

Olé, Olé, Olé! Now that got the blood flowing, didn’t it? The North-West University (NWU) Eagles clawed their way to a 41-28 win over the University of Johannesburg (UJ) on Monday night in Potchefstroom after having their feathers ruffled by the visitors from Johannesburg in the first half.

In doing so, the Eagles got their 2023 Varsity Cup campaign off to a splendid start, scoring six tries to their opponents’ three. Still, as stated, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. UJ led 18-15 going into the break after Eagles’ flanker Gustav Erlank was sinbinned in the 15th minute.

On 27 January 2023 the North-West University (NWU) and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), representing the Potchefstroom College of Agriculture and the Taung Agricultural College, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the NWU's Potchefstroom Campus.

The North-West University (NWU) Business School hosted its third PITSO discussion for 2023 during which experts deliberated on the President’s State of the Nation Address on 9 February 2023. With 184 attendees, topics discussed included the current energy question, issues pertaining to the current energy crisis, economic growth and the reality of crime, corruption and renewal.

This month the North-West University (NWU) welcomes first years and returning students to its campuses. While various forums have been put in place to improve student safety, especially that of female students, rolling electricity blackouts are likely to create an environment conducive to crime flourishing.

We are fortunate that the late Prof Marilyn Setlalentoa, who was the NWU deputy vice-chancellor for Community Engagement and Mahikeng Campus Operations, was passionate about dealing with issues of crime affecting students and their safety at this university.

Academic writing is key to academic success, but getting it right is not easy, particularly for students who are learning in a second or third language. This is where the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR) makes a difference.

SADiLar’s language development and testing node, the Inter-institutional Centre for Language Development and Assessment (ICELDA), has developed a series of videos, called Write It, to fill the gap by guiding students through writing.

So, the word is out, and after much anticipation, Dr Joseph Sekhampu was announced to be the new chief director of the Business School at the North-West University (NWU). But who is Joseph Sekhampu, and what is his vision for the school and for life in general? Who is the man in the golden seat and how does he operate workwise, life-wise and dream-wise?

It cannot be disputed that 2022 was an eventful year for news outlets. The invasion of Ukraine; a global rise in inflation; the death of prominent figures, not only in the entertainment industry, but also major international personalities such as Queen Elizabeth II; and the intensified effects of climate change, among other things, dominated the headlines as the world’s population crossed the milestone of 8 billion people.

It is hard to recall a time when there were as many economic and political cross-currents as there are for South Africa as it enters 2023. This is according to Prof Raymond Parsons, economist at the Business School of the North-West University (NWU).