Cystic fibrosis can be a life-altering and potentially fatal disease, but early detection through newborn screening can dramatically improve outcomes. The North-West University (NWU) houses the Centre for Human Metabolomics, a diagnostic laboratory uniquely offering cystic fibrosis newborn screening services to the South African public.
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.
A North-West University (NWU) researcher has joined a group of scientists recognised for shaping environmental science across the world.
Prof. Victor Wepener was named a recipient of the 2026 Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Fellow Award during a recent event in the Netherlands. The award recognises sustained contributions to environmental science, research leadership and societal impact.
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.
Prof. Olubukola Oluranti Babalola from the North-West University (NWU) has been recognised among the world’s leading researchers in plant science and agronomy after being ranked 448th globally and fifth in South Africa in the 2026 edition of the Research.com rankings.
Prof. Babalola, who is based on the Mahikeng Campus, also received the 2026 Research.com Plant Science and Agronomy in South Africa Leader Award in recognition of her contribution to research in the field.
- The South African government is becoming trapped within layers of accumulated complexity.
- The government therefore appears simultaneously hyper-present and absent.
- Complex systems create discretion and discretion creates power.
- Economic success becomes tied less to productive capability and more to proximity to administrative systems.
- The crisis no longer lies in the absence of rules or oversight, but in the growing burden of managing complexity itself
On 14 May 2026, the Technology Transfer and Innovation Support Office (TTIS) at the North-West University (NWU) hosted a commemorative event to celebrate the granting of a European patent for a novel method to determine the risk of chronic stress and stroke.
The event brought together members of the Faculty of Health Sciences, family, friends and former colleagues of Prof. Leone Malan and her late husband, Prof. Nico Malan, whose decades of research underpin the invention.
Communities across South Africa continue to face water shortages and power cuts, but Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke says the reasons behind these failures are simpler than most people think.
Speaking at the Public Financial Management guest lecture, hosted by the School of Government Studies on Monday 11 May, she said that municipalities mainly collapse due to poor financial management, the wasteful use of resources, human behaviour, and procurement failures.
Alumni Relations at the North-West University (NWU), together with the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, recently hosted an Alumni and Friends gathering at the NWU’s Vanderbijlpark Campus.
The event brought together leading academics, analysts, business leaders and media personalities for a robust dialogue on governance, economics, leadership and social development.