Newsbreak

SABC News and Current Affairs — Telecommunications Minister, Siyabonga Cwele, has encouraged government grant recipients to change their cards, if they haven't already done so. This, as many recipients have complained about unauthorised debit orders from their accounts. Cwele visited the Ncwadi Pay-point near Bulwer, in southern KwaZulu-Natal, where the social security agency and the post office h...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - Indonesian officials say the search for victims of last month's earthquake and tsunami will end on Thursday - despite the fact that hundreds of people are still unaccounted for. More than one-thousand-seven hundred people have been confirmed dead while over two and a half thousand injured. The South African relief aid organisat...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - The Nelson Mandela Youth Centre at Chatsworth, south of Durban will commemorate its 15th anniversary and honour the 100 year centenary of the late former president by hosting a fun walk this Sunday. Mandela pledged his commitment to building the youth centre after 13 children lost their lives in the 2000 Throb Nightclub tragedy...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak's Tashlan Naidoo - A 34-year-old man has been found in possession of a bucket containing human body parts that were cut into small pieces at Margate on KwaZulu-Natal south coast at the weekend. Police were alerted after traditional healers became concerned when the man offered to sell them human body parts. The suspect will be charged for the illegal po...

SABC News and Current Affairs — Nineteen suspects, arrested in connection with a mosque attack and a spate of incidents at malls in KwaZulu-Natal, made their first court appearance behind closed doors in the Verulam Magistrates Court. The media and family members were barred from attending the proceedings. The accused were arrested on Friday and face a total of fourteen charges including murder, a...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak's Matthew Veeran & Salma Patel - Democratic Alliance KwaZulu-Natal Premier Candidate Zwakele Mncwango will today meet with Traditional Leadership and the community of his hometown at KwaNongoma. This after the DA was blind-sided in a recent by-election loss to the ANC at hotly-contested Ward 71 comprising Shallcross, Moorton, Crossmoor and Bottle-Brush...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Rachel Vadi - Living in the Casbah District in the Durban City Centre all his life, Ahmed Valley Mahomed was surrounded by memories of communal living among the people of Indian origin who made the Central Business District their home during the apartheid era. At the core of this close-knit community was a sense of respecting and taking care of...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Rachel Vadi - How well do you know India? Well here's your chance to participate in a competition organised by India's Ministry of External Affairs, to test your knowledge and understanding of India. If you are between 15-35 years old, you are invited to participate in the "Bharat Ko Janiye" quiz. Consul-General of India in Durban, Dr. Shashank...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak's Taliesha Naidoo - Cape Town Muslim scholar Sheik Ismail Keraan will be jetting off to Astana in Kazakhstan shortly for the Sixth Congress of World Leaders and Traditional Religions in an inter-faith forum to chart the way forward towards global peace. The United Nations (UN) is facing an arduous task in preventing further bloodshed in Syria, while Rus...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Matthew Veeran - In a bid to create greater awareness around the issue of Human Trafficking in South Africa, the Umgeni Community Empowerment Centre (UCEC) will undertake its Fifth Annual Walk against Human Trafficking tomorrow. The non-profit organisation has been at the forefront in campaigning against human trafficking and abduction and are...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak's Matthew Veeran - Local humanitarian organisations have landed in the earthquake and tsunami battered city of Sulawesi in Indonesia. The earthquake and tsunami destroyed towns and villages along the Sulawesi coast and leaving more than 1,400 dead. Al-Imdaad Foundation International Projects Co-ordinator - Ziyaad Patel told Newsbreak of the devastation...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Matthew Veeran - The World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) continues to asserts the importance of demand reduction strategies for the right of all people to the highest standard of health. Ministers, officials and representative from governments, including civil society movements are in Geneva to negotiate...

SABC News and Current Affairs — Residents of Westbury, west of Johannesburg say they hope the deployment of the police's Tactical Response Unit will help stabilize the area and rid it of crime and drug related violence. Police Minister Bheki Cele paraded over 140 police officers in the troubled residential area. This was in response to resident's complaints about the scourge of drug dealing and dr...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Rachel Vadi - It's been 20 years since abortion has been legalised in South Africa - yet many organisations continue to lobby government to change this law. At the fore-front of these lobby groups, is the National Alliance for Life - who will be hosting a pro-life walk on Sunday in uMhlanga, north of Durban. Event co-ordinator, Aaron Munsamy sa...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - Motorists travelling along the N2/M41- Mount Edgecombe interchange at Umhlanga, north of Durban are breathing a sigh of relief as the new bridge almost complete. The interchange which began construction in April 2013 - features a multi-stack bridge and four levels with no signalisation. The construction phase has been met with...

SABC News and Current Affairs — The Verulam Magistrate's Court has adjourned the bail application of Colin Pillay, the man accused of the triple murder of a Phoenix family. Last month, the bodies of Janelle Govindasamy and her daughters - Denisha and Rackelle - were found in their Phoenix flat, north of Durban. Pillay will remain in the Westville Prison until his bail application is heard. Minoshn...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - Beach-goers are urged not to bathe at beaches where shark nets have been removed. Beaches that remain closed - include Westbrook, Umdloti, Umhlanga's 2nd Beach, Isipingo, Warner, Umgababa and Winkelspruit. KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board Business Development spokesperson - Harry Mabambo says several beaches along the Durban coast-li...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - Taxi commuters may have to dig even deeper in their pockets as another taxi fare increase is on the cards. The National Taxi Alliance told Newsbreak that the fuel hike yesterday means taxis are also forced to up their fares. Fuel prices have increased every month for the past four months and motorists and commuters fear that th...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak's Taliesha Naidoo - Meanwhile, voting at polling stations in Chatsworth, south of Durban closed late last night - as scores of voters made their mark in the Ward 71 by-elections. The position of the Ward Councillor became vacant when former eThekwini Democratic Alliance caucus leader Sharon Hoosen resigned after being promoted to the provincial legislat...

SABC News and Current Affairs — 26-year-old Previn Vedan reached out to Newsbreak as he was named the new councillor of Chatsworth Ward 71. In this voice note sent in the early hours of this morning, the ANC's Vedan spoke of his gratitude to voters and discussed some of his plans going forward...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo has urged patients in every government health facility to be vigilant over criminals who are luring people into being abducted and trafficked. Dr Dhlomo issued a strong warning following an incident which occurred at the Addington Hospital in Durban. A nurse at the hospital intercepte...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - The use of drones have grown significantly among hobbyists as well as businesses who all use them for different purposes. The drone legislation before parliament will soon become significantly stricter with drone users which literally means that they need to plan ahead on how to manage their resultant risks associated with owni...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taliesha Naidoo - The Pietermaritzburg Gandhi Memorial Committee will host the annual Gandhi Peace Walk on Sunday. The event has been established to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The commemorative walk will begin from the Old Pietermaritzburg Prison and end at the Pietermaritzburg Railway Station. President Cyril Ramaphos...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - Durban streets are infested with rodents that is contributing towards poor health and a decline in tourism in the port city. The eThekwini Municipality is setting up several measures to curb the outbreak in around 16-thousand rat-infested sites grappled with the epidemic. Over 18-thousand man-holes have also been treated to ens...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Matthew Veeran - The World Health Organization (WHO) has alarmed governments that tobacco threatens sustainable development where no one is left behind. Governments of over 181 countries including South Africa, are meeting to negotiate stronger public health measures of the global tobacco treaty in Geneva. This treaty is formally called the WHO...