Newsbreak

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Rachel Vadi - Young people becoming actively involved in criminal activities is a growing concern for the Phoenix SAPS. This is according to Phoenix SAPS spokesperson, Captain Louise Naidoo - who together with Sergeant Merle Govender have set up the Phoenix SAPS Youth Desk. Captain Naidoo says the establishment of this forum has become a crucia...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Prodcuer Taliesha Naidoo - The family of Clarence Herbst are expected to lay criminal charges against an organisation who allegedly held him captive for almost four months. The 79-year-old had been missing since March this year. He was last seen at Addington Hospital on the Durban Beachfront. However, his SASSA grant was being withdrawn every month unti...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - In a bid to eradicate the increasing occurance of racism at schools, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation has launched an essay competition with the aim of finding ways for scholars to tackle the social scourge. With racism remaining an issue in post-apartheid South African society, the foundation is calling on young people to share t...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has last night lodged an urgent application against Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane. Gordhan maintains that he was 'honest' in leading Parliament to believe his 2010 meeting with a member of the Gupta family was not corrupt in any way. In his latest application, Gordhan additionall...

SABC News and Current Affairs — The three men convicted of murdering retired Chatsworth school principal - Gonapathy Pilay - have been granted leave to appeal against the life sentences handed down in the Durban High Court. The accused were also sentenced to 13 years imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances. The court found that the intern estate agent - Basil Underhill - mastermind...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taliesha Naidoo - The future of our ecosystem hangs in the balance as one of the oldest wildlife rehabilitation centres in South Africa closes its doors. The Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) rescue, rehabilitate and release wild animals in KwaZulu-Natal. This year alone, CROW has rescued about 4,000 animals and gave them a second ch...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Matthew Veeran - Placing major emphasis on the education and health sectors, KwaZulu-Natal Finance MEC Ravi Pillay tabled his R130 billion plus budget in Pietermaritzburg yesterday. R54 billion of the allocation went to Education, where skills development and providing meals to needy children topped the agenda. The Department of Health meanwhil...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - A 23-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the rape and murder of Komell Pillay. The 22-year-old's body was found semi-naked in an abandoned building on Sunday. Police investigations led to the arrest yesterday afternoon. Pillay's body was found in a dilapidated building at Brake Village, in Tongaat, north of Durban...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taliesha Naidoo - Newsbreak current affairs has cracked an alleged senior citizen kidnapping ring operating in Durban. Following a story aired and podcast on Newsbreak regarding the whereabouts of 79 year old Clarence Herbst the family received a tip-of of his whereabouts. Herbst had been missing since March this year. He was last seen at Addin...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - Water is a commodity that can soon be turned into technology. This as the Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology (IWWT) at the Durban University of Technology will soon launch a new water facility comprising of laboratories with high-end equipment. In this week's Techno-Touch we look at the new facility which will be off...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - The nephew of anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Timol, Imtiaz Cajee, has joined the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in opposing the leave to appeal application of former apartheid police officer, Joao Roderigues. Cajee told Newsbreak that he had joined the departments of justice and correctional services and police in the appl...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - Aspiring business owners and youth with a vision for entrepreneurship have been encouraged to join hands with business network, the "Tamil Business Warriors" in an effort to boost skills and widen their reach. The forum which is open for business to people from all walks of life - promotes knowledge about business and opportuni...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Executive Producer Salma Patel - Muslims the world over are angry that the Jeddah Music Fest featuring American Rapper - Nicki Minaj, will be held in Saudi Arabia so close to the religious annual Hajj pilgrimage. Executive Director of the Afro-Middle East Centre - Naeem Jeenah says to add insult to injury, Muslims have to go through a laborious process...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - The coastline of KwaZulu-Natal has been a hive of activity in recent days as the annual sardine run braces the shores of Durban. The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board reported major sardine activity surrounding Amanzimtoti main beach. Its acting Head of Operations - Greg Thompson, predicts an increased presence of the silvery fish alo...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taliesha Naidoo - KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC - Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu says the department is awaiting a preliminary report from its investigation into the R.K.Khan Hospital at Chatsworth, south of Durban. This comes after a shocking video went viral on social media showing a patient - Saadick Ebrahim, with live maggots in his mouth. The 52-year-o...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - The murderers of retired principal - Gonapathy Pillay will know their fate today when sentencing takes place at the Durban High Court. Basil Underhill, his cousin Braveman and Fredboy Msomi were convicted of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances yesterday. Pillay and her husband Loganathan were attacked at their Sil...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - A warrant of arrest has been issued for South African musicians Bongekile Simelane, better known as "Babes Wodumo" and her partner Mandla Maphumulo - also known as "Mampintsha". This after the controversial couple failed to appear at the Pinetown Magistrate's Court west of Durban yesterday. Simelane opened an assault case again...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - One woman has died and fifteen others have been injured after a bakkie and minibus taxi collided on the M65 in the vicinity of King Shaka International Airport, in Durban this morning. Prem Balram, director of local security company, Reaction Unit South Africa, says the cause of the accident is still unclear at this stage...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - One person has died and twenty others have been injured during a collision between a light motor vehicle and a minibus taxi between Kokstad and Matatiele, south of KwaZulu-Natal. Robert Mckenzie, spokesperson for KwaZulu-Natal Emergency Services, says following the collision late yesterday afternoon - both vehicles were engulfe...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taliesha Naidoo - A toddler has died and two other children are fighting for their lives after a fire broke out in an informal settlement in Bonela, west of the Durban CBD last night. Emergency workers found the 2-year old girl and two boys - aged ten and tweleve respectively - lying unconscious on the floor when they entered the home.........

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - One man has died and another is critically injured following a shootout at the corner of Wingen Walk and Spencer Street, in Shallcross, south of Durban. Garrith Jamieson, spokesperson for Rescue Care paramedics, says both men, who are believed to be in their forties, came under fire at a workshop in the area this morning. Jamie...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - The designer of the first prayer facility at the Kruger National Park has won an award for its innovation and creative design. Ebrahim Docrat, who is the Financial Administrator for Tourism at the Koornhof National Park, designed the first-ever Muslim prayer facility or "musallah" at Kruger to accommodate for the influx of tour...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taliesha Naidoo - KwaZulu-Natal Police Search and Rescue Unit has recovered the body of a man at the Durban Harbour. It's believed the man was off-loading steel plates from a ship when one of the plates fell on him at the N-Shed Passenger Terminal. Durban Metro Police together with search and rescue teams worked tirelessly to extricate the man...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - The world is experiencing the rapid integration of physical, digital and biological technologies. Termed as the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), Professor Collin Thakur from the Durban University of Technology says that this new era comes with great opportunities. However he did note a few concerns in the fields of Artificia...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Cebisile Mkhize - KwaZulu-Natal police are investigating the cause of a fire that claimed the life of a 37-year old police officer. The fire broke out while the officer was asleep at his home in Bayview - Chatsworth, south of Durban. The cause of the fire is unknown at this stage. According to KZN police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala, the...