Weekly Pulse: North‑West in Motion: Neighbours, News and New Horizons
- Karen Scheepers
- Jul 25
- 8 min read
Edition 25 July 2025
Potchefstroom’s yellow‑shirted volunteers sow seeds on an empty field while Klerksdorp technicians drain a faulty pump to keep taps running in Khuma. Ikageng’s stadium roars to township football and a cricket hub springs back to life, even as local musicians, entrepreneurs and church communities spin up brand‑new events.
This edition of The Weekly Pulse gathers every beat, from council chambers and campus kitchens to rugby fields, art stages and animal‑rescue kennels, into one cohesive tune. Settle in for a panoramic look at the people, projects and passions shaping our corner of the North West, then step out ready to lend a hand, raise a cheer or share a story of your own.
Potch Gazette
News
Get Your ‘Biz’ on the Map
The Go‑To Guy’s new Business Listings portal officially opens its virtual doors, promising Potchefstroom entrepreneurs, from biltong artisans to plumbing crews, a low‑cost way to be discovered online. A free entry tier targets cash‑strapped start‑ups, while scalable packages offer extras like enhanced visibility and analytics. Editors emphasise the platform’s hyper‑local nature: a trusted site where Potch residents already search for services. By streamlining digital word‑of‑mouth, the listing hub aims to keep commerce and cash, circulating inside city limits.
Welcome Back to Term 3
After a winter recess, classrooms buzz anew. Schools remind families to check stationery lists, review uniform standards and keep an eye on exam timetables that arrive sooner than pupils expect. Educators encourage learners to attack the term with “growth mind‑sets,” emphasising incremental mastery over perfect marks. Parents, meanwhile, receive tips on sustaining study‑time routines and balancing extra‑mural loads with much‑needed downtime.
Weekly Diary – Week 29
This round‑up captures the city’s prevailing mood: jubilant sports tournaments, viral pet‑adoption drives, and service‑delivery heroes who fix streetlights between thunderstorms. Missing in action? StroomStories and Spiritual Talk, on a short production break, but plenty of freshly wagging tails and grassroots football trophies fill the gap.
FMR Bursary Trust Music Awards Finalists Announced
Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre will soon host Africa’s rising maestros. Classical, jazz and indigenous music finalists secured their slots through rigorous prelim rounds; now they’ll perform live on 29 July and 1 August. Entrance is free, organisers stress, because talent blossoms best when cost isn’t a barrier.
ATKV Sangkompetisie at Potch Geesfees 2025
Under the “Ploeg Terug!” banner, Potchefstroom’s community‑give‑back festival revives its popular singing contest. Beyond bragging rights, winners help channel festival profits toward Solidariteit Helpende Hand’s #STOPHONGER campaign. Teenagers polishing Adele covers and oma’s warming up Afrikaans folk songs have until late August to enter.
Sports
Potch Schools Shine
From netball nets to academic quiz buzzers, learners notch provincial titles and personal bests. Coaches credit holistic programmes that pair early‑morning fitness with afternoon study sessions. Cultural achievements sparkle too: a drama troupe’s anti‑bullying play now tours neighbouring towns.
Council
Hospital Access Cleared & Sewer Projects Advance
JB Marks technicians meet looming winter rainfall by unblocking storm‑water drains and fast‑tracking sewer‑line overhauls in Vyfhoek. Simultaneously, crews resurface access roads to Potchefstroom Hospital, ensuring ambulances avoid pothole slalom. While some long‑term engineering delays persist, officials say visible progress and transparent updates are rebuilding trust.
Weekly Ward Group Update (18–24 July)
WhatsApp ward chats recorded recurrent pain‑points: erratic load‑shedding schedules, burst‑pipe alerts and petitions for traffic‑calming measures near primary schools. Administrators praise residents for photographing issues with geotags, enabling faster municipal triage, but caution against spreading unverified outage rumours.
Community
Love Potch & JB Marks Unite for a Green Space
Arno van den Berg’s yellow‑shirted Love Potch volunteers team up with municipal planners to transform a barren plot into a community garden and play zone. After clarifying land‑use legality, yes, public‑green classification permits the makeover, organisers recruit residents to donate seedlings, benches and Saturday sweat equity. The bigger message: city pride means rolling up sleeves, not pointing fingers.
NWU & Meals on Wheels Combat Student Hunger
On Nelson Mandela Day, NWU sealed a partnership with Meals on Wheels to serve at‑risk students one nutritious meal a day. A student‑led canned‑food cook‑off raised initial stock, proving that residence rivalry can be deliciously philanthropic. Long term, organisers envision an on‑campus commissary stocked by alumni donations and grocer surplus.
Mandela Day 2025 in JB Marks
From repainting crèches to singing at elder‑care homes, residents turned 67 minutes of service into day‑long marathons. The municipality provided paint, soup and transport; local choirs provided the soundtrack. Each ward logged its acts of kindness on a shared map, visual evidence that compassion scales one street at a time.
PAWS “Adopt Your Boss” Fund‑raiser (8 Aug)
Animal‑welfare group PAWS once again dares offices to lock managers in kennels until colleagues pay a ransom, sorry, donation, to spring them. Last year a smug orange tabby supervised proceedings; this year, organisers tempt rival companies Nova Life and Tailwind Cycles to up the ante with branded cages and social‑media challenges. Spots fill quickly, contact 071 681 9264 before your boss does.
Take‑for‑Free Table (16 Aug)
Mooirivier Beskerming’s pavement will pile high with food, clothes, toiletries and toys, free to anyone who asks. Organisers appeal for small contributions, one tin, one toothbrush, because, collectively, those micro‑donations morph into a safety net for neighbours weathering economic storms.
What’s On | 26–31 July
From Hartspad trail runs and open‑mic nights to Miss Potchefstroom Academy’s beauty‑with‑purpose pageant, this week’s calendar bursts at the seams. Families note free kids’ art classes at the museum; students eye half‑price pizza before Thursday jazz sessions; wellness buffs bookmark a sunrise yoga pop‑up overlooking the Mooi River.
Click here to view these full stories and more: https://www.thegotoguy.co.za/the-gazette/categories/potch-gazette
Klerksdorp Gazette
News
Phelophepha Health Train Postponed
Klerksdorp’s anticipated stop by the mobile health train stalls after a technical snag. Municipal channels urge patients who rely on the low‑cost clinic, offering eye exams, dental care and chronic‑med check‑ups, to seek interim services at local CHCs. Engineers scramble for spare parts; new arrival dates remain “forthcoming.”
Wilmed Park Private Hospital
Wilmed Park’s pending Emergency Department revamp and new Cardiac Unit signal Lenmed Group’s confidence in North‑West growth. Architects will add negative‑pressure isolation suites and catheterisation labs, while HR scouts specialist nurses. Hospital CEO Dr Naidoo says the upgrades align with a “patient‑first, province‑wide” care model that attracts talent and keeps procedures local.
Sports
School Spotlight: Klerksdorp Learners Excel
Cricket all‑rounder Zama Mthembu records back‑to‑back centuries; a debating squad clinches the provincial title, and a girls’ choir earns gold at the Eisteddfod. Teachers credit collaborative scheduling that prevents activity overlap and ensures academic support for star athletes.
Council
Matlosana Municipality Overview
Formed by melding Klerksdorp with Orkney, Stilfontein and Hartbeesfontein, the City of Matlosana now steers a diversified economy: mining remains, but agriculture, mid‑size manufacturing and health services rise. Councillors push for a rail‑freight terminal to exploit the N12 corridor and ease ore‑to‑market logistics.
Jouberton Hostel Oversight Visit
MMC Portia Mtshaulana’s walk‑through exposes crumbling staircases and shared ablutions stretched beyond capacity. She commits to a phased retrofit, first waterproofing roofs before replumbing entire blocks. Hostel Committee chair Sipho Mahlangu calls the visit “a credible first step, provided action follows words.”
Khuma Water Interruption (24 July)
Crews isolate a failing mainline pump for a 10‑hour repair, warning households to store water. Tankers stand by for clinics and crèches. Officials emphasise preventative maintenance to avoid a catastrophic failure that would cripple supply for days rather than hours.
Community
Kindness in Motion | Volunteer Receives a Bicycle
Animal‑shelter stalwart David’s three‑bus, two‑hour daily commute shrinks to 20 minutes after UN LTD Cycling, Dusty Day and Tailwind Cycles gift him a mountain bike. Shelter director Thandi Nkosi hopes the gesture pedals a wider circle of support, donations, adoption days, and hands‑on help.
Mandela Day in Khuma
Executive Mayor Cllr Mokatsi ends a whirlwind weekend painting ECD classrooms, planting clinic gardens and handing out winter packs to families in informal settlements. Volunteers log 7 000 service minutes, well beyond the symbolic 67 and pledge to make every month Mandela Month.
Click here to view these full stories and more: https://www.thegotoguy.co.za/the-gazette/categories/klerksdorp-gazette
Ikageng Gazette
News
Vintage Event ‘25 at Lemon House Café
KWJ’s Bespoke Events injects soul into Matlare Street with a full‑day vintage celebration, think Motown spinning on vinyl, suspenders and swing dresses, plus local craft stalls. Organiser Kwena Jansen expects the retro vibe to lure both older music aficionados and TikTok teens chasing aesthetic authenticity.
Asinamali Women | Theatrical Salute for Women’s Month
NW Development Agency stages an adaptation of Dr Mbongeni Ngema’s iconic work, reframed to elevate female voices. Post‑show talkbacks pair actors with NGO advocates tackling gender‑based violence, turning art into activism.
Club CSA’s July Double‑Header
DJ Zodi’s Exclusive Episodes and House of Zondo headline consecutive nights, promising free shuttle buses, outdoor chill zones and a dance‑floor that won’t quit until sunrise. Organisers bank on the twin bill to revive Ikageng’s late‑night economy without relying on steep cover charges.
Sports
Ikageng Cricket Hub Reborn
North West Cricket and MEG Security refurbish nets, turf and changing rooms, gifting township kids a safe pitch and professional coaching. Launch day includes mini‑matches, donated kit hand‑outs and a Mandela Day medal for every player.
Ekasi Winter Tournament | Continental Lift Trophy
Continental FC emerges champions after a nail‑biting penalty shoot‑out. Beyond the medals, the two‑day spectacle proves that township football, supported by La Fabrica Management, commands talent scouts’ attention and merits sustained sponsorship.
National Pool Championships at Madiba Hall
Cue sport’s elite chalk cues in JB Marks, chasing national glory and 2026 qualification. Spectators marvel at breaks surpassing 100 points; organisers laud the hall’s acoustics and promise to return next year with an expanded junior division.
Dlala Diski Mshaya U‑15 Tournament
Under the theme “Where Dreams Take the Field,” August’s Top 16 showdown offers teens exposure to provincial scouts. Sponsors supply kits; community leaders deliver motivational talks on balancing sport and school.
Supatsela Development Cup (U‑11)
With hashtag #OneGoalOneDream, this one‑day event stresses early sportsmanship. Parents cheer, car‑wash volunteers fund‑raise for kit, and winning teams earn coaching clinics with semi‑pro mentors.
Click here to view these full stories and more: https://www.thegotoguy.co.za/the-gazette/categories/ikageng-gazette
Stroomstories
Tuesday 22 June: Stroomstories ROUX Drops a New Single
Local singer‑songwriter ROUX debuts his latest track live on StroomStories, weaving heartbeats and hometown nostalgia into soulful acoustics. The online launch invites fans to share personal stories that mirror the song’s lyrical journey, building a communal playlist of lived experience.
Tuesday 22 June: SkoolKompas with Miandi Vilas
Multi‑trophy golfer Miandi Vilas joins StroomStories to unpack the mental resilience behind a consistent swing. Off the course, she’s a budding musician; Vilas demonstrates how rhythm patterns in songwriting reinforce her pre‑shot breathing routine, a symbiosis of sport and art that intrigues young listeners.
Wedensday 23 June: Spiritual Talk Episode 37
Ivan Venter showed how reading Scripture through one’s identity in Christ transformed rote habit into resonant truth, turning the Word into a living mirror of authentic selfhood.
Thursday 24 June Stroomstories Kayla on Aandmark 2025
Kayla outlined how the 30 August fund‑raiser at the Gereformeerde Kerk Museum would channel vetkoek sales and live music toward restoring the landmark’s heritage architecture.
Thursday 24 June: SportStroom with Regardt Kleingeld
Potch Gymnasium’s rugby director outlines a five‑year pipeline: position‑specific academies for U‑14s, data‑driven conditioning, and outreach clinics that merge school pride with township inclusion. “Results matter,” Kleingeld says, “but forging character matters more.”
All episodes were streamed live on The Go‑To Guy Facebook page earlier this week and are now archived for on‑demand viewing, so you can rewatch, or share, the conversations at any
The Go-To Guy Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thegotoguy.za
Write the Next Chapter
From greening vacant lots to rehabbing cricket hubs, this week’s stories echo a single refrain: progress thrives where community converges. Whether you donate a tin for the Vat Verniet table, ransom a boss for PAWS, or simply applaud a young athlete’s first hat‑trick, your participation writes the region’s next chapter. The Weekly Pulse will be back with fresh voices, victories and vigilant reporting. Until then, stay informed, stay involved and keep North West beating strong.
That wraps this edition of Weekly Pulse, your concise window on the people, policies and passions driving our region. Keep sharing tips, events and victories, and check back next Friday for fresh national stories, local council moves and community triumphs. Until then, stay informed, stay involved, and stay warm!
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