Congratulations Dr Rassie on receiving the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold
President Cyril Ramaphosa will award Erasmus with the Order of Ikhamanga during an investiture ceremony.
Black News 
When Dr Rassie Erasmus walked onto the stage at the North-West University (NWU) in 2024 to receive an honorary doctorate, it was not only recognition of a rugby coach. It was recognition of a leader who helped shape moments that united a country and reminded South Africans of what can still be achieved when belief, resilience and shared purpose come together.
Today, President Cyril Ramaphosa will award Erasmus with the Order of Ikhamanga during an investiture ceremony. This is the highest national honour in the fields of sport, arts, culture, literature, music and journalism. The broader NWU family could not be prouder of Erasmus.
There is so much to celebrate about Johan “Rassie” Erasmus, the two-time Rugby World Cup winning coach, an exceptional South African and a special human being.
He is as uniquely South African as biltong, blatjang and a braai. He can be mischievous, unconventional and wonderfully unpredictable, and sometimes he leaves us shaking our heads and laughing. That authenticity is part of what makes him so deeply admired across the country.
Erasmus has shown how rugby can transcend sport itself, how it can bridge divides both narrow and wide, unite people like few other social forces, and ultimately help shape a nation. That shows character.
He is an honorary doctor of the NWU, but to us, like millions of South Africans, he is not only regarded as a friend, but a source of pride and inspiration.
Congratulations, Dr Rassie.
Prof Mzubanzi Bismark Tyobeka
NWU Principal and Vice-Chancellor
