Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming more than a tool. Increasingly, people are turning to AI for advice, companionship and emotional reassurance. Chatbots are helping users navigate personal challenges, offering encouragement and, in many cases, validating their feelings and beliefs.
Yet growing evidence suggests that this constant affirmation may come at a cost.
There was a time when passengers could board a train in Johannesburg, travel through Krugersdorp, Magaliesburg and Zeerust, pass through Mahikeng, Madibogo, Mareetsane and Taung, and continue towards Kimberley before making the return journey. Those trains are gone. So too are many of the rail services that once connected communities, supported local economies and provided an affordable alternative to South Africa's roads.
South Africa’s fresh produce markets moved more goods in April 2026, but earned less money in the process, exposing pressure points in the country’s food distribution system and raising concerns about oversupply, pricing and operational bottlenecks.
Koketso Modisakeng, a fourth-year Bachelor of Education student at the North-West University (NWU), is using storytelling to confront social issues such as gender-based violence (GBV), mental health, corruption and generational trauma while building her profile as a published author.
As was expected, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) raised interest rates by 25 basis points on 28 May.
Prof. Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, says the 4 to 2 vote was a preventative step against future inflation in the economy.
A group of 13 Public Policy Analysis honours degree students from the North-West University (NWU) were given a rare opportunity to engage directly with the architects of public policy and governance inside the historic chambers of the Union Buildings – where some of the most critical national decisions in South Africa are shaped.
The North-West University (NWU) Soccer Institute heads to Mthatha carrying more than a provincial title. The team enters the 2026 ABC Motsepe League National Playoffs with hopes of securing professional football status and reshaping the future of the institute ahead of its 20th anniversary next year.
Most students will tell you that nobody teaches you how to actually handle money. You learn about compound interest in a textbook, maybe, but nobody sits you down and explains what to do when you are drowning in debt, tempted by a flashy investment scheme, or just trying to make a grocery budget stretch to the end of the month. The NWU Student Leadership Academy, working alongside the Student Representative Council, set out to change that and, in the first week of May 2026, it did.
Patients battling both substance use disorders and mental illness in psychiatric hospitals in Ghana often rely on nurses for long-term care and recovery support. New research by Dr Frederick Nsatimba argues that these nurses need stronger institutional support, clearer care systems and better resources to improve treatment outcomes.
A plant long used in traditional medicine is now at the centre of research that could shape future cancer treatment options in South Africa and beyond.
Researchers at the North-West University(NWU) are investigating the anti-cancer potential of Lessertia frutescens, commonly known as cancer bush, after laboratory studies showed activity against several forms of cancer, including drug-resistant small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer.