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) delegation, led by the deputy vice-chancellor for student life, transformation, people and culture with assigned function of the Mahikeng Campus, Dr Joe Molete, recently held a strategic engagement with the leadership of the Taletso TVET College.
This engagement was aimed at strengthening institutional relations and exploring collaborative opportunities between the two institutions.
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.
Coach Nkululenko Malgas guided the North-West University (NWU) Soccer Institute to the ABC Motsepe League national playoffs. He will now take another step in university football after receiving a national appointment to lead the University Sport South Africa (USSA) football team at the 2026 Confederation of Universities and Colleges Sports Association (CUCSA) Games in Gaborone, Botswana, from 28 June to 5 July. Alongside him, Buhle July will join the national setup as the team physiotherapist.
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.
Across South Africa, roads crumble, wastewater systems fail, refuse accumulates and infrastructure projects stall midway through completion. Increasingly, many citizens are asking the same question: what is happening to our municipalities?
By Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU)