Newsbreak

By Newsbreak Producer, Tashlan Naidoo - A doctor based at the Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg is urging people to stay at home this festive season, saying with the second wave, a new variant of COVID19 and alcohol related trauma cases, hospital beds and ventilators are hard to come by. Earlier this week the country recorded a staggering 14 thousand cases with 411 deaths in a single 24 hour c...

By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - In an effort to grow awareness and help people understand the nature of shark species and the way they inhabit the oceans. A diving expert from Scottburgh, south of Durban has encouraged people to snorkel with sharks in an attempt to understand the apex predators. Brian Flascas told Newsbreak that sharks often only attack or bite human beings as a case of mis...

By Newsbreak producer Tashlan Naidoo - "A foot soldier for humanity and giant in the fight for freedom". That is how the late community activist Floyd Naicker from Chatsworth south of Durban has been described following his untimely passing earlier this week. 56 year old Naicker joined the ANC in 1990 and was an active member of the Bayview Residents Association which tackled any issues that resid...

By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - Several people have been arrested and businesses closed following a raid at the Pietermaritzburg CBD in KwaZulu-Natal. This follows a raid in Durban that saw 17 people arrested and fines totalling 13-thousand rand for various non-compliance issues. The raid was part of a joint operation to ensure COVID19 regulations are being adhered to. KZN MEC for Economic...

By Newsbreak Executive Producer Salma Patel - A growing list of countries and airlines are reported to have banned flights FROM South Africa this week as the second wave of the Covid19 Pandemic sweeps through the country. Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Germany, Turkey, Sudan, Britain and the Netherlands say they made the decision after the discovery of a new variant of the virus in SA. Travel Agent, N...

by Newsbreak Producer, Hoosen Ebrahim - Two people have been killed in an accident on the N3 Durban bound near the Ashburton bridge, This after a container from a truck fell onto a minibus taxi. KwaZulu-Natal Emergency Medical Service spokesperson Robert McKenzie says 12 other people have been treated for serious to minor injuries. He says the highway is currently closed to traffic.

by Newsbreak Executive Producer, Salma Patel - Youngsters between the ages of 18 and 45 are becoming infected and affected by the new variant of the coronavirus. That's according to medical practitioner Dr Prithee Ramlachan. Dr Ramlachan says even though its still early days he is seeing an increase in the number of patients becoming infected with COVID19. Dr Ramlachan adds that the only way to pr...

After nine years of searching for her missing child, a KwaZulu-Natal mother has had her Christmas wish come true, when she was reunited with her baby. Her child was snatched from her days after she gave birth in her rural village of Jozini in northern KwaZulu-Natal. The alleged abductor has since been arrested in Daveyton, Gauteng. Nonkululeko Hlophe visited the family and filed this report.

by Newsbreak Producer, Shanell Daniel - A 33-year-old man died during a collision with a truck outside the Verulam Testing Station north of Durban. Prem Balram, spokesperson for local security company - Reaction Unit South Africa - RUSA - says the man had been traveling on a motorbike when the collision took place.......

by Newsbreak Producer, Shanell Daniel - A five-point-seven per cent decline in road deaths as compared to last year is not enough. That's according to Spokesperson for The Automobile Association, Layton Beard. The 2020 festive season preliminary road statistics released by Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula show that a total of 690 people have been killed on the country's roads in the first 20 days...

By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - Although the certainty as to when a vaccine will become available in South Africa is not clear, employees have raised concern around the position of businesses in the absence of a law - which mandates the inoculation of the entire population against Covid-19. Durban based Human Rights Lawyer, Saber Ahmed Jazbhay explains to citizens that it is against the con...

By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - As the presence of Covid-19 becomes more and more severe in society. Government have made it clear that lockdowns are contributing considerably to a recession. Thats according to the International Monetary Fund in their latest World Economic Outlook. The report showed that vulnerable groups, such as women and young people, are particularly affected by job los...

By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - The festive season brought about a rise in traffic volumes on the roads, and the Association for Alcohol Responsibility and Education - aware.org, are calling on the public to refrain from driving under the influence of alcohol. To stem the expected tide of road crashes and injuries, aware.org, the Road Traffic Management Corporation - RTMC and the Transport...

By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - The South African Medical Research Council says much more research needs to be done in order to find out if the new COVID19 variant will bring about high rates of re-infection. Known as the '501.V2 Variant', the mutation of the original virus is thought to be more transmissable than its predecessor, which if proved, will explain the high rates of infection in...

by Newsbreak Producer, Taliesha Naidoo - Authorities in Nelson Mandela Bay are conducting rigorous spot checks to ensure partygoers adhere to the state of disaster regulations this festive season. Nelson Mandela Bay was the first area to be declared a Covid-19 hotspot earlier in December. As part of restrictions imposed on hotspots, a curfew of 10pm was set for the metro - with a ban on alcohol co...

The second wave of Coronavirus in KwaZulu-Natal has caused an increase in the number of daily deaths, on average 13 a day. This is consistent with the high number of new infections in the last two weeks. KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala briefed the media on how the virus is progressing during this festive season. Latest figures indicate that the province has surpassed a 154-thousand infections and suffe...

by Newsbreak Producer, Taliesha Naidoo - The 1860 Indian Indentured Labourers have left an indelible mark in the pursuit of education. Motivated by a drive to thrive and lift themselves out of poverty, the labourers spearheaded the development of many schools - some of which are still around today. Historian and cultural enthusiast - Jimmy Parthibhen Moodley - says these schools served as catalyst...

by Newsbreak Producer, Rachel Vadi - Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize has announced that a variant of the SARS-COV-2 Virus (COVID-19) - currently termed the '501.V2 Variant' - has been identified in South Africa. The Ministerial Advisory Committee's Professor Salim Abdool Karim says preliminary data suggests that the virus now dominating in the second wave, is spreading faster. CEO of the Kwazulu-...

India has surpassed the 10 million Coronavirus case mark over the weekend, adding one million new infections in nearly one month. But, the pandemic seems to have abated, bringing much-needed relief to healthcare workers, who risked their own lives as they toiled almost non-stop during the past 10 months. From New Delhi, Rana Sen reports...

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says the biggest contributors to road fatalities are pedestrians. Mbalula was addressing the media in Durban during the "Hoot for Life" campaign, aimed at encouraging road safety awareness this festive season. The blitz was conducted at KwaMashu and uMlazi townships in Durban. Fanele Mhlongo reports.....

by Newsbreak Producer, Salma Patel - Eccentric, innovative, friendly and kind - these are just some of the words used to describe the editor and CEO of the website - IndianSpice.co.za - who passed away late last night after battling a an illness for over a month. Naufal Khan - who would have turned 40 in less than two weeks - will be buried according to Hindu rites - which his sister Sumaya Khan s...

by Newsbreak Producer, Rachel Vadi - Police are investigating the cause of death of a 42 year old woman who allegedly died while hiking along Skeleton Gorge on Table Mountain, in Cape Town. The dead hiker has been identified as Zarina Dealmeida Talia from Killarney in Johannesburg. It is believed that she was hiking with her family when tragedy struck. Spokesperson for the Western Cape Wilderness...

The Director of the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Research Innovation Platform, Professor Tulio De Oliviera, has confirmed that a new variant of the Coronavirus has been identified in SA and it's spreading rapidly. This comes as the second wave of the Coronavirus sweeps over the country. De Oliviera was addressing the media during an online session hosted by the Health Department. Zoleka Qodashe r...

By Newsbrealk Talk Presenter, Taresh Harreepershad and Newsbreak Talk Producer, Rachel Vadi. The Director of the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Research Innovation Platform, Professor Tulio De Oliviera, has confirmed that a new variant of the coronavirus has been identified in South Africa and it is spreading rapidly. Professor De Oliviera says the new lineage of the coronavirus is dominating new i...

By Newsbreak Producer, Tashlan Naidoo - The altered lifestyle experienced during the 2020 lockdown period has had a number of adverse health consequences, one of which is increased pain and discomfort in joints. Fortunately, health experts advise that, through a dedicated regime of nutrients and exercise, joint stiffness and pain can be effectively managed. Dietician, Bianca Tromp, says those who...