  We present the first results of a 21 cm HI line pilot observation carried out
with MeerKAT in preparation for the ViCTORIA project, an untargeted survey of
the Virgo galaxy cluster. The extraordinary quality of the data in terms of
sensitivity and angular resolution (rms~0.65 mJy beam^-1 at ~27"x39" and 11
km/s resolution) allowed us to detect an extended (~10 kpc projected length)
low column density (N(HI) < 2.5x10^20 cm^-2) HI gas tail associated with the
dwarf irregular galaxy NGC4523 at the northern edge of the cluster. The
morphology of the tail and of the stellar disc suggest that the galaxy is
suffering a hydrodynamic interaction with the surrounding hot intracluster
medium (ICM; ram pressure stripping). The orientation of the trailing tail, the
gradient in the HI gas column density at the interface between the cold ISM and
the hot ICM, the velocity of the galaxy with respect to that of the cluster,
and its position indicate that NGC4523 is infalling for the first time into
Virgo from the NNW background of the cluster. Using a grid of hydrodynamic
simulations we derive the impact parameters with the surrounding ICM, and
estimate that the galaxy will be at pericentre (D~500-600 kpc) in ~1 Gyr, where
ram pressure stripping will be able to remove most, if not all, of its gas. The
galaxy is located on the star formation main sequence when its star formation
rate is derived using Halpha images obtained during the VESTIGE survey,
suggesting that NGC4523 is only at the beginning of its interaction with the
surrounding environment. A few HII regions are detected in the Halpha images
within the HI gas tail outside the stellar disc. Their ages, derived by
comparing their Halpha, FUV, NUV, and optical colours with the predictions of
SED fitting models, are <30 Myr, and suggest that these HII regions have formed
within the stripped gas.
