Newsbreak

The fifth of March of 2020 will be remembered by many as the day on which the first case of the Coronavirus patient was confirmed in South Africa. "Patient Zero" was identified in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands. Patient Zero is used to refer to the person identified as the first carrier of a communicable disease in an outbreak of related cases. We look back on the past year with the Head of the Corona...

By Newsbreak Producers Shanell Daniel and Genevieve Lanka - What was your reaction when you heard about the first case of COVID-19 in the country? Many South Africans say they didn't think the virus would impact life it the manner it did. These people say they are still in shock over the magnitude of the outbreak in the country...

The race for the Democratic Alliance Leader in KwaZulu-Natal is expected to be a tough battle as three well known provincial party leaders are tipped to contest the position. DA chief whip in the provincial legislature, Francois Rogers, eThekwini caucus leader, Nicole Graham and her deputy Emmanuel Mhlongo are expected to contest the position. Vusi Makhosini reports...

By Newsbreak Executive Producer Salma Patel - The Judicial Conduct Committee has found that Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng has contravened the Code of Judicial Conduct when he made pro-Israel comments in a webinar last June and at a prayer meeting. Advocacy group, Africa4Palestine and two others brought the complaint against the Chief Justice. Judge Phineas Mojapelo has directed that Justice Mogoen...

By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - Today marks a year since the last so-called "normal day" in South Africa, before first case of COVID-19 was discovered in the country. More than 50-thousand people have since succumbed to the killer virus in the country. Counselling psychologist, Rakhi Beekrum says the lack of emotional support during this time has compounded the grief that many have faced, w...

By Newsbreak Producer Genevieve Lanka - The outbreak of COVID-19 in South Africa has exposed gaps in the country's ability to provide marginalised communities with basic human rights. Commissioner of the Public Service Commission, Dr Somadoda Fikeni, says the pandemic has not only cast the spotlight on entrenched legacies of apartheid, but has also called into question government's deepening corru...

By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - Security officials in China and South Africa have seized thousands of counterfeit doses of the coronavirus vaccines at a warehouse in Germiston. INTERPOL say that 400 vials - equivalent to about 2,400 doses - were found in a warehouse outside Johannesburg. Officers also recovered fake masks and arrested three Chinese citizens and a Zambian national. In China,...

By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - Reaching its highest in three years, the Umgeni Water system stands at 83% capacity currently. This is largely because of good rainfall in the catchment areas of the Umgeni system. In this week's Green Scene, we speak to Umgeni Water's, Shami Harichunder, who discusses what this means for future water supplies in parts of the province...

By Newsbreak Producer Matthew Veeran - This Saturday morning, residents of Merebank and surrounding have been urged to join in on a peaceful picket, hoping to address concerns over a terrible stench that has engulfed the area. The protest is being organised by the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) - who say the unbearable odour is now impacting on the health of residents. The i...

By Newsbreak Producer Genevieve Lanka - Economist Lavan Gopal has cautioned against calls to amend pension laws to allow workers access to a portion of their pensions in times of distress. Labour Federation COSATU says a bill to that effect must be tabled in Parliament by next month so that it can come into effect by October. COSATU and other stakeholders were participating in the hearings in parl...

By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - The body of a 65-year-old man has been found bound with rope around his legs and arms following a house robbery at Pinetown, west of Durban. According to KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Captain Nqobile Gwala, three suspects entered the mans house, killing him before fleeing the scene with a television and a vehicle...

By Newsbreak Senior Producer Genevieve Lanka - The number of people living with disabling hearing loss could double by the year 2050. This is the findings of a landmark report by the World Health Organization. More than half a billion people are affected globally with the condition, while in South Africa the number sits at more than four million. The report, spearheaded by the Organisation's World...

By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse or OUTA says government appears divided on the issue of e-Tolls. The MEC of Transport in Gauteng, Jacob Mamabolo, says the provincial government is working with its national counterparts to stop the implementation of E-tolls in the province. However, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni told parliament recently that refusing to pay...

Digital rights advocates in India say facial recognition technologies installed in at least a dozen government-funded schools in Delhi are an "overreach" by Indian authorities and an invasion of children's privacy. The move to introduce facial recognition technology follows a 2019 decision by the Delhi city government to mount closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in more than 700 public school...

By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - 17-year-old Shakaarah Bharath from KwaZulu-Natal's Ladysmith High School stole the spotlight at a recent spelling competition in Johannesburg. The super-speller travelled to the City of Gold over the weekend and bagged gold in the National South African MasterBee Spelling Competition - Grade 11 division. While learning three-thousand words is by no means an e...

By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - Representative of the "I can make a difference" medical group - Dr Naseeba Kathrada, says they hope to have Ivermectin made more accessible to combat COVID-19. This as their court application, aiming to get easy access to the drug is to be heard at the North Gauteng High Court later this month. Meanwhile, three other groups, namely the African Christian Democ...

By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - The One South Africa Movement leader, Mmusi Maimane says the infamous Gupta family cannot be allowed to take more public money through back channels via well connected people. Maimane is back in the headlines after he revealed evidence which shows how the Gupta family appears to still be involved with Eskom activities. Talking to Newsbreak's HE, Maimaine says...

By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - The Cape Town Drug Counselling Center (CTDCC) have applauded police after a seizing large quantities of cocaine on a fishing vessel off the coast of Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape. Initial reports suggest the drugs have a street value of over 580-million-rand. Cape Town police say ten foreign suspects, four Bulgarians and six from Myanmar will appear in cou...

By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) has requested a meeting with broadcasting company eNCA to discuss concerns related to alleged racist undertones by one of its reporters. This after video footage of eNCA political reporter, Lindsay Dentlinger interviewing Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald and the DA's John Steenhuisen without their ma...

By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - KwaZulu-Natal authorities have noticed a spike in rabies cases around the Durban area since the start of the new year. The KZN Department of Agriculture says at least 24 cases have been identified this year alone, with two deaths recorded. Chief Director for Veterinary Services in KZN, Dr Temba Sikhakhane says they have ramped up vaccination efforts in target...

By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - Margate beach and lagoon on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast has been closed to bathers and fisher-folk until further notice, due to a sewer leak. Spokesperson for the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality, Simon April says a new pump will have to be sourced and installed, to which a time-frame is yet to be disclosed. The beach will then have to undergo a water safety test...

By Newsbreak Producer Rachel Vadi - In today's Medical Monitor we discuss identifying hearing loss in infants, with Professor Claudine Storbeck from Netcare's National Hearing Screening Programme. Ahead of World Hearing Day, which is commemorated annually on the 3rd of March, Prof Storbeck emphasises the importance of making use of this simple screening process. She says detecting a possible heari...

By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - As efforts are made to control the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, experts say equitable access and distribution of vaccines is more critical now than ever. This has been the call made by the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders. They have urged wealthy countries and pharmaceutical corporations for solutions that will urgently ensure that all countr...

By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - The Constitutional Court has agreed to hear the State Capture Commission of Inquiry's contempt application against former president Jacob Zuma, on March 25th. Last month, the commission filed an urgent application with the Constitutional Court against Zuma, calling for him to be jailed for two years. This relates to Zuma's defiance of the order by the apex co...

By Newsbreak Producer Rachel Vadi - Two men are appearing at the Chatsworth Magistrate court today, related to the death of a missing e-hailing driver. The 24-year-old driver was reported missing by his family on Friday. The following day his body was recovered at a landfill site in Chatsworth, south of Durban. Police spokesperson, Captain Nqobile Gwala says parts of the vehicle was tracked to Uml...