OVERVIEWEducation and
OVERVIEWEducation and trainingCareer guidance is available.Grade 11 pupils have a chance to learn about the world ofbusiness and what careers are possible through the AnnualCareer Exhibition, pictured, presented by Moses Kotane LocalMunicipality (MKLM) in partnership with the Department ofEducation and various private companies.These include the Sun City Resort, where in 2023 more than 4 000Grade 11s gathered to hear from industry leaders, employers, highereducation institutions and mentors. Other private sector participantsinclude Siyanda Bakgatla Mines, Northam Zondereinde, PilanesbergPlatinum and Anglo American Amandebult Mine.According to Moses Kotane Local Municipality’s Subject EducationSpecialist, Ntleleng Alfreda Ramasodi, the key objectives of theexhibition are to empower and guide learners to choose relevantcareers and to expose them to various tertiary institutions suchas universities and TVET colleges, together with departments andorganisations, so that their knowledge is expanded.Provincial government initiatives to support education ineconomically depressed areas include an initiative to feed pupils twomeals per day (a plan which is reported to be “gaining traction”) andsupport for scholar transport. A longer-term plan envisages buildingschools with increased boarding enrollment capacity. As of 2024,the National School Nutrition Programme was providing for 740 000pupils in all four districts. In the course of the 2024/25 financial year atotal of 10 newly built schools will be handed over to communities,representing expenditure of more than R700-million.North-West University and its researchers are leaders in manyfields, including astrophysics, tourism, solar energy and extrudertechnology. The University of South Africa (Unisa) has three branchesin North West, at Rustenburg, Potchefstroom and Mmabatho.Technical Vocational and Educational Training colleges teachskills that are relevant to the workplace. North West has three TVETcolleges with several campuses each. Vuselela TVET College has itsheadquarters in Klerksdorp, where there is also an accredited tradetest centre. There are a further four campuses: Jouberton Centre forEngineering Studies, Matlosana Campus, Potchefstroom Centre forICT and Taung Campus. Orbit TVET College has three sites,Rustenburg, Mankwe and Brits, with about 15 000 students overall.ONLINE RESOURCESNorth West Department of Education: www.desd.nwpg.gov.zaNorth-West University: www.nwu.ac.zaNWU Business School: www.commerce.nwu.ac.zaSECTOR INSIGHTBoarding schools are planned.The Rustenburg campusof Orbit College hosts aMicrosoft IT Academy whilethe Mankwe campus offersautomotive training, the resultof a partnership between theManufacturing, Engineering andRelated SETA (MerSETA), LelethuTraining and Ford South Africa.Orbit TVET College hosts anelectronics academy courtesyof sponsor Samsung Electronicson the Mankwe campus, and inpartnership with the MerSETA.Mankwe also offers AutomotiveRepair, Maintenance andTransport and Logistics and isa Centre of Specialisation inDiesel Trade.The Taung Agricultural Collegeis accredited by the Councilon Higher Education (CHE) tooffer the NQF level 6 Diplomain Agriculture specialising inIrrigation Technology. ■NORTH WEST BUSINESS 2025/2626 PHOTO: Sun City
Banking and financial servicesThe banking sector is on a growth path.OVERVIEWSouth Africa’s banking sector continues to experience change.Four new banks are in the pipeline and have receivedregulatory approval: Old Mutual, the Young Women in BusinessNetwork (YWBN) Mutual Bank, Postbank (a state entity)and the SA Innovative Financial Services Cooperative (SAIFSC),which will be run by the Department of Women, Youth and Peoplewith Disabilities.With more than 30 000 employees in 14 countries, Old Mutual isbest known for insurance, but it is now on the path to establishing afully fledged bank. For some time, the group has offered the MoneyAccount, a low-cost transactional account which doubles as a unittrust savings account. This product was offered by Old MutualTransaction Services in association with Bidvest Bank Ltd and OldMutual Investment Administrators.TymeBank, one of the newer entrants onto the South Africanbanking scene, is taking the concept of “retail banking” to anotherlevel. Having run banking kiosks within retailers such as Pick n Payand Boxer for several years, TymeBank has signed a deal with TFG,a group that has a big presence in the North West.TFG, with 30-million customers, used to be known as the FoschiniGroup and has 34 brands, including Markhams, Totalsports, Jet andExact, pictured. TymeBank has access to 600 TFG kiosks nationally,including some where banking can be done in TFG stores inRustenburg. Towns such as Mahikeng and Zeerust also have TFGstores.Another relatively new bank is Capitec. Investment holdingcompany PSG has reduced its holding in Capitec Bank from 32% to4%, earning about R4-billion by selling those shares.Ubank, which had a significant presence in the North West, hasbeen sold to African Bank. Having started its life as a savings fundfor mineworkers, Ubank was converted to a commercial bank inthe early 1990s but mineworkers continued to have a say in howit was run. The relationship of Ubank with the North West wasclose, an example being the branches located at the Dishaba andThumela hostels of the Amandebult Mine.Ubank had previously been placed under administration withthe banking authorities citing concerns over insufficient capital,SECTOR INSIGHTUbank has been sold.corporate governance andweak internal control. AfricanBank’s acquisition of Ubankadds 4.7-million customers toits operation. Coming withinmonths of African Bank’spurchase of Grindrod Bank forR1.5-billion, the R80-milliontransaction indicates the scaleof African’s Bank’s ambitions – anindication of how far the bankhas come since it was put intoadministration itself in 2014.The Reserve Bank still has a 50%shareholding in the bank, whichit intends to sell. ■ONLINE RESOURCESAssociation for Savings and Investment South Africa: www.asisa.org.zaAuditor-General of South Africa: www.agsa.co.zaChartered Institute for Government Finance, Audit and Risk Officers: www.cigfaro.co27 NORTH WEST BUSINESS 2025/26
