Professor with a lofty dream

Dreams of a varsity that serves as centre of excellence in research.

- Eric Mthobeli Naki

Professor Mzubanzi "Bismark" Tyobeka, vice-chancellor and principal of North-West University, has a genuine passion for Orlando Pirates football club. He attends most of their matches in Gauteng to cheer on the Buccaneers.

But he does not neglect his varsity clubs. He makes it a point not to miss watching his university soccer club at the Mafikeng campus and the rugby team at the Potchefstroom campus.

His presence serves as motivation for the players, who want to impress their father figure on the sidelines.

He is an all-around sports enthusiast and also a fan of the Springboks and the Proteas.

"I hope to regain the courage to watch Bafana Bafana as they improve. I am generally a supporter of our South African national teams," he says.

Tyobeka, a father of six—five girls and a 15-year-old boy—and married to Ngeniswa Tyobeka, has a vision for the university.

He dreams of an institution that operates efficiently and serves as a centre of excellence in research, aimed at positively touching the lives of the province's most disadvantaged residents.

He believes NWU should play a crucial role in transforming North West from one of the poorest rural provinces into a hub of economic growth, leveraging research in agriculture and mining, which are the province's key economic sectors.

Having been born and raised in the area, he deeply understands the challenges.

He was born on 4 November 1974, at Nonce village, populated predominantly by Xhosa people and surrounded by a sea of Batswana villages, about 110km northwest of Rustenburg.