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 long-awaited decision by President Cyril Ramaphosa to reconstitute his Cabinet and also fill existing key ministerial vacancies will be judged by the outcomes achieved in the period ahead.”

In commenting on the Cabinet reshuffle that was announced on 6 March, Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, says the selection of ministers is inevitably the outcome of a delicate navigation of political forces and interests in deciding on the Cabinet’s ultimate, yet enlarged, composition.

North-West University (NWU) student Onalenna Mongale was announced the North West Sportsman of the Year during the North West Provincial Government’s 7th Provincial Sports Awards that took place on 18 February 2023. Onalenna represented South Africa at the International University Sports Federation

(FISU) University Combat Sport - Karate Competition in Turkey last year. Onalenna competed in the Individual Kumite and ranked sixth out of about 22 athletes in his division.

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.

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus recently hosted a long-service awards ceremony to honour and acknowledge staff members who have served the institution with loyalty, dedication and hard work for 10 years and more.

The event has become a highly anticipated occasion, and this year more than 40 staff members were awarded.

Dine Du Pleez, who has worked at the university as an academic adviser for 30 years, was honoured for being the longest-serving individual on campus at this occasion.

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.

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.”

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.

Leané Naudé, an MSc Engineering student at the North-West University (NWU), will be packing her bags for Amsterdam in May to represent South Africa in the global finals of the Blue Sky science competition.

She earned this honour after coming second in last year’s national Blue Sky awards, a biennial competition acknowledging the work of students and young researchers in forest-based science product development.

The 2023 State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa to Parliament on 9 February gave a wide-ranging, candid and realistic appraisal of South Africa’s present tough and challenging economic landscape.