Ikageng, Potchefstroom
The North-West University (NWU) has recently cemented its community development initiatives by entering into a community partnership with the Ikageng Development Agency (IDA), a nonprofit company based in Potchefstroom. As part of the partnership, IDA will spearhead some of the university’s piloted community initiatives. The university has always shown a significant interest in building capacity in local communities through a network of expertise and collective community involvement by sharing skills and human resources. The partnership with IDA comes at an opportune time.
IDA is not new to community development, with initiatives including talent identification through sport, education-based initiatives, and crime reduction campaigns. Local residents view the partnership as a step in the right direction and believe it will positively impact young people’s lives in Ikageng and surrounding areas. Given Tau, the Chairperson of IDA, told The Sports Eye, “Amongst other things, the strategic objective of this partnership is to improve the number of students from the Ikageng community enrolling at the North-West University Potchefstroom Campus as a pilot project.”
As part of the partnership, the university recently sponsored a Women’s Month soccer tournament, with the finals successfully held at Ikageng Stadium on 31st August 2024. The tournament was fully endorsed by the JB Marks Local Football Association under the stewardship of Chairperson Oubuti Ramphore. In a scintillating ladies’ category final, Kayo Stars beat Youth Courage Ladies 2-0, with Tebogo Mogajane (16), a learner at Boitshoko Secondary, chosen as the player of the tournament.
Magajane said, “We appreciate this initiative by the university. We hope it will grow in leaps and bounds and encourage the establishment of ladies’ soccer teams. The tournament was exciting and showcased a huge display of ladies’ skills, and we hope that we will not have to wait until next year for another tournament.”
The first benefit for the Ikageng and Tshing communities was the payment of affiliation fees for all 24 football clubs playing under the JB Marks Football Association, which is a remarkable achievement given that clubs often struggle to make ends meet. This investment by North-West University will have an immediate impact on about 960 players from the U17 level in the years to come. IDA has praised the university’s leadership for ensuring the partnership negotiations were successful, including Director of Marketing and Student Recruitment Mr. Jean-Marc Stidworthy, Director in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor Mr. Nkosinathi Tom, and Ikageng Development Agency NPC representatives Mr. Given Tau (Chairperson) and Mr. Lakes Matolong (Business Consultant for IDA)
