Newsbreak

By Newsbreak Producer Matthew Veeran - In a landmark judgement, a young Reservoir Hills man has been sentenced at the Durban Regional Court for attempted extortion. The 23-year-old in question tried to extort R50,000 from his neighbour, by using a fake Facebook account. Reports suggest that the young man sent a slew of messages to his neighbour, even going as far as saying he would kill him if he...

By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - Among the many health-related concerns during the pandemic, childhood cancer often gets overlooked and goes undiagnosed because of the concerns around visiting medical facilities. That is according to non-profit group the "Rainbow and Smiles Foundation". Founding member, Bonita Suckling says a major concern is that early warning signs of childhood cancer are...

By Newsbreak Producers Hoosen Ebrahim and Shanell Daniel - Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, has come under fire for reportedly saying that "educated men don't rape". This while addressing pupils at the start of the new school year yesterday, in Pretoria. Her comments were met with outrage with many deeming it "inappropriate". In a statement issued by the Department of Basic Education, Mo...

By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - South African TV personality Jonathan Boynton Lee has visited KwaZulu-Natal in a bid to explore the province and help ramp up the tourism sector. Tourism authorities in the province have been on an aggressive campaign to help enhance the sector and return the province to its former glory. KZN is known for being one of, if not the top tourism destination in th...

By Newsbreak Producers Hoosen Ebrahim and Tashlan Naidoo - The State Capture Inquiry will recommend to the Constitutional Court that former president Jacob Zuma be imprisoned for contempt of court, this for defying an order forcing him to appear before the commission. We spoke to Lawson Naidoo, the executive secretary of the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC). Na...

By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, the Chairperson of the State Capture Commission says he'll give a way forward, later this afternoon, on what will happen next, following the non-appearance of former president Jacob Zuma at the commission this morning. Former president Jacob Zuma furnished the commission with a letter through his lawyers, alerting it that h...

By Newsbreak Producers Rachel Vadi and Hoosen Ebrahim - All eyes are on public schools reopening today, following Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga's address yesterday in Pretoria. The pandemic, which has claimed more than 1,300 educators to date, disrupted the 2020 school year, forcing the department to adopt a revised school calendar. The revised outlook for the year meant that schools we...

By Newsbreak Producer Taliesha Naidoo - A promising young scientist is merging agriculture with science to prove the benefits of polymer bioplastics over man-made synthetic bioplastics. Aditi Sookdhaw, from Star College in Durban, has won the second special prize for innovation in environmental engineering at the recent Eskom Expo for Young Scientists. The matric learner conducted scientific resea...

By Newsbreak Producer Taliesha Naidoo - The fate of ANC Secretary General, Ace Magashule is expected to have been high on the agenda at the party's NEC meeting held over the weekend. This as Magashule prepares for a second court appearance on 19 February, facing fraud and corruption charges linked to a 2014 Asbestos project in the Free State. Despite the ANC's integrity commissions recommendation...

By Newsbreak Producer Rachel Vadi - What started off as bite-sized life notes from a mother to a daughter has transformed into a book of life - answering questions to taboo topics between mothers and daughters. Estcourt educator, Feeyola Dawood has recently published a book entitled "Mothers Know". When Dawood moved to the United Arab Emirates in 2013, her daughter lived with her. But when her dau...

By #NewsbreakTalk Producer and Presenter, Taresh Harreepershad - Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize says his department will continue with their phase one vaccination plan using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine instead of the AstraZeneca one. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been proved to be effective against the new variant of the Coronavirus that's prevalent in South Africa. Necessary approval proc...

By Newsbreak Talk Producer and Presenter, Taresh Harreepershad - In his State of the Nation Address President Cyril Ramaphosa, put emphasis on four areas that he says government will focus on. That is defeating the Covid-19 virus, accelerate economic recovery, implement economic reforms and fight corruption as well as strengthening state institutions. #NewsbreakTalk Presenter, Taresh Harreepershad...

By Newsbreak Producer, TareshHarreepershad - Gender Based Violence prevention organisation "Shout-It-Now"' wants to break the cycle through outreach and educational programmes. Behavioural Programmes and GBV Manager at Shout-It-Now, Cristianne Wendler says patriarchy and violent masculinity are entrenched in society - and sadly men and many women are now accepting it as a normal way of life

By Newsbreak Executive Producer, Salma Patel - A Saudi Activist who was instrumental in a campaign to allow women to drive in Arabia has been released from jail and says that she was tortured while incarcerated. The family of 31 year old Loujain Hathloul say they will seek justice for her imprisonment. Hathloul is subject to a travel ban and forbidden from speaking to the media. Naeem Jeenah, Exec...

By Newsbreak Producer, Rachel Vadi - After two months in the Intensive Care Unit, well known cardiologist, Dr Somalingum Ponnusamy succumbed to Covid-19 yesterday afternoon. Dr Ponnusamy was Head of the Clinical Unit in the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Department of Cardiology at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital from 2009 to his death. Speaking on behalf of the medical fraternity, Professor DP Naid...

By Newsbreak Producer, Taresh Harreepershad - Activists are pushing ahead calling for the legalisation of Ivermectin for all COVID-19 patients. The anti- parasite drug, used to treat animals, has been billed as an effective way to fight the virus. But the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has only authorised the use in controlled compassionate circumstances. South Africa...

By Newsbreak Producer, Rachel Vadi - A 41 year-old gun shop owner was arrested by the Hawks yesterday for allegedly supplying firearms to criminal gangs in the Western Cape. Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani says the suspect will be facing charges that include Murder, Attempted Murder, Fraud and the Contravention of the Firearm control Act. Hani says forensic examination allegedly linked some of the f...

By Newsbreak Producer Matthew Veeran - Concerns around the flourishing illicit tobacco trade locally have been raised by the South Africa Tobacco Transformation Alliance (SATTA). These concerns stem from a recent report relating to an alleged "international alliance" involving tobacco smugglers in Zimbabwe, South African business and the Chinese state cigarette manufacturer. The report also found...

By Newsbreak Producer Taliesha Naidoo - In his State of the Nation Address last night, President Cyril Ramaphosa put emphasis on four areas that he says government will focus on. The four areas mentioned were defeating the Coronavirus, accelerating economic recovery, implementing economic reforms and fighting corruption - as well as strengthening state institutions. Only 50 people were allowed ins...

By Newsbreak Producer Matthew Veeran - There's been positive reaction to the recently announced National Minimum Wage for domestic workers, which has been increased to R19,09 per hour and will come into affect on the 1st of March. Often the unsung heroines of South Africa, domestic workers enable the economically active members of society to prosper and pursue their own careers. Often the breadwin...

Some health-care specialists in KwaZulu-Natal say their research into the use of Ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 has shown positive results. The College of Health Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal has held a webinar unpacking the use of the drug in dermatology and potentially COVID-19. Earlier this month, the Gauteng High Court issued an order by agreement with the South African...

By Newsbreak South Asian Correspondent Rana Senn - China and India have agreed to mutually disengage from their contested borders to try and end a military standoff in the Himalayas where the two armies are heavily deployed. The declaration earlier today followed rounds of talks since a brutal hand-to-hand clash claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers last summer. Rana Senn reports from New Delhi....

By Newsbreak producer Hoosen Ebrahim - Civil society organisations have called on the President to outline how government intends on stopping job losses in the country since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. "The Unemployed People's Movement" - which has branches situated in Durban, Grahamstown and Limpopo say the factional battles within the ANC is partly to blame. Spokesperson Ayanda Kota e...

By Newsbreak producer Shanell Daniel - Anti-GBV organisation, People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA), hopes for President Ramaphosa to provide clear indication as to how the Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Response Fund will be managed. CEO of POWA, Mary Makgaba, says just as there is a Coronavirus Command Council, there too should be a GBV Command Council to tackle the second pandemic in the count...

By Newsbreak Producers Tashlan Naidoo and Hoosen Ebrahim - There is significant pressure on the shoulders of President Cyril Ramaphosa ahead of the much anticipated State of the Nation Address (SONA) tonight. Calls are mounting from most sectors of society which are being battered by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ramaphosa is being called upon to take responsibility for the debacle surroun...