Newsbreak

India has kicked off year-long celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of victory in war which led to the birth of Bangladesh from defeated Pakistan's eastern rump. The end to the conflict was swift but only after it saw the massacre of three million civilians and the biggest migration of refugees since World War 11. Rana Senn reports...

By Newsbreak Executive Producer, Salma Patel - Parents beware! Your child's house party could unwittingly cause the further spread of the coronavirus. That's the warning issued by community activist and member of the KwaZulu-Natal Social Development Portfolio Committee, Les Govender. Govender spearheaded the Chatsworth Monitoring Committee after the Throb Nightclub Tragedy in which 13 children los...

By Newsbreak Producer, Tashlan Naidoo - The Department of Health has refuted claims that it missed a payment to COVAX in order to secure a COVID19 vaccine. This after international news agency Bloomberg reported that South Africa missed the December 15 due date for a R327 million deposit to secure vaccines. The deposit is part of a 2-point-2 billion rand total payment by the solidarity fund. Deput...

By Newsbreak Producer, Taliesha Naidoo - The need for STEM-based experts is growing stronger. STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines - science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Worldwide, careers of the future will be STEM-based. However, the World Economic Forum (WEF) reports a worrying shortage of STEM experts in South Africa. The Eskom...

By Newsbreak Producer, Taresh Harreeparshad - Those who do not wear face masks will be immediately turned away at checkpoints by the eThekwini Metro Police. This is in a bid to get the people to comply with mask-wearing this festive season. Yesterday the beaches in Durban were closed- but according to the Metro Police, the systems in place to regulate crowd access are well calculated. Senior Super...

By Newsbreak Producer, Tashlan Naidoo - ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule is likely to remain in his position and fulfil party duties until March next year, even though an integrity commission report recommended that he immediately step aside pending his corruption case. ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe says the report was leaked and the party will have to follow its internal processes regarding this...

By Newsbreak Producer, Tashlan Naidoo - The COVID19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown has helped inspire a technological awakening in South Africa. That is according to Arthur Goldstuck, the managing director of tech company, World Wide Worx. Goldstuck says that 2020 could become a catalyst in bringing down data costs even further, which will eventually prove to be of much gain for people in poorer...

By Newsbreak Producer, Hoosen Ebrahim - Researchers at the Crocworld Conservation Centre in southern KwaZulu-Natal have reported a decline in apex predator species along the coastline of the province. They say that this contributes a ripple effect on the prevalent ecosystems that exist and co-exist - resulting negatively in the vital balance of species and populations that make up healthy marine e...

By Newsbreak Producers, Tashlan Naidoo & Taliesha Naidoo - Holidaymakers are on the move! Thousands of vehicles per hour have been recorded passing through the Marianhill toll plaza on the N3 toward Durban since yesterday. As the festive season gets into full swing, even more people are going to flock to their favourite holiday destination, even amid the second wave of the COVID19 pandemic. Spokes...

By Newsbreak Executive Producer, Salma Patel - The beachfront may be closed to bathers this public holiday but fisherfolk are allowed to cast away provided they are in possession of a valid fishing license. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that due to the second wave of the covid19 pandemic sweeping the country, bathing on beaches will not be allowed on public holidays in KwaZulu-Natal. Fishing...

By Newsbreak South Asian Correspondent Rana Senn -Leaders of Indian farmers who have been blocking highways for three weeks intensified their protests with a day-long hunger strike to seek the repeal of three new farm reforms. They say the laws would destroy their livelihood and allow rich corporations into the agriculture sector which employs hundreds of millions of people. Rana Senn reports...

By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo -KwaZulu-Natal police are investigating a case of murder after an unidentified dead body was found at Phoenix north of Durban. KZN police spokesperson, Colonel Thembheka Mbhele says the body was found in a river on Croftbury drive. Mbhele says police do not have any leads at this stage. Meanwhile, spokesperson for a local security company, Glen Naidoo says the...

By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - The ANC's Integrity Commission has recommended that the party's secretary-general, Ace Magashule, step aside. This after Magashule appeared before the party's Integrity Commission at Luthuli house in Johannesburg at the weekend. Magashule is out on 200-thousand-rand bail for criminal charges relating to a multi-million rand asbestos project while he was premi...

By Newsbreak Producers, Tashlan Naidoo and Hoosen Ebrahim - President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that KwaZulu-Natal beaches will be closed on the 25th, 26th and 31st of December as well as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of January 2021, citing these as the most crowded days of the festive season. Part of the new restrictions is that alcohol will only be sold between 11am and 6pm from Monday to Thursday....

By Newsbreak Producer, Tashlan Naidoo - In a bid to help curb the spread of COVID19 and save jobs and incomes, the liquor industry will deploy 500 patrollers to ensure compliance at alcohol outlets around the country during the festive season. With more than 7000 jobs lost in the beer industry and R14-billion rand in losses, the Beer association of South Africa or BASA, says they cannot afford to...

By Newsbreak Producers, Shanell Daniel & Hoosen Ebrahim - 160 years later and young minds are continually learning and grasping the importance of the Indian-origin indentured labourers legacy. Project manager for the 1860 Indian Indentured Mobile Museum, Dineshran Naidoo explains how the 160th anniversary commemorations have impacted the younger generation.......

By Newsbreak Producer, Hoosen Ebrahim - Quality assurance body, Umalusi will wait until the 15th of February next year to deem the 2020 Matric examinations credible or not. This is according to Chairperson of the Umalusi Council - Professor John D Volmink. He says that following the High Court in Pretoria's ruling to set aside the Department of Basic Education's (DBE) decision to undertake a natio...

By Newsbreak Executive Producer Salma Patel - A Durban-based non-profit organisation has cancelled their popular souk or festive season market as the country grapples with the 2nd wave of coronavirus infections. The Al Ansaar Foundation - which runs many charity projects has also introduced a new board that hopes to curb corruption and maladministration within its ranks to better serve the communi...

By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - A local security company that services the northern suburbs of KwaZulu-Natal says crimes such as robberies, hijacking and petty theft are on the rise ahead of this festive season. This morning, a 74 year old woman was hit on the head with a butt of a gun and robbed of her belongings. Spokesperson for the company, Dhevan Govindasamy, says people need to be ext...

By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - President Cyril Ramaphosa will tonight address the nation. The announcement is expected to be focused on developments in relation to the country's response to the coronavirus pandemic. The health ministry last week announced that we are in the midst of a 2nd wave of COVID19, with daily cases surging past 7-thousand yesterday. Speculation is rife that restrict...

by Newsbreak Producer, Taliesha Naidoo - South Africa is experiencing its second wave of COVID-19 infections. More than 7900 new cases have been reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases in the country to more than 860 000. Dr Shabier Omar, from the Islamic medical association explains how the second wave of infections can be attributed to non-compliance and large gathering...

by Newsbreak Producer, Rachel Vadi - Social media posts of the closure of RK Khan Hospital at Chatsworth, south of Durban, have been dismissed as fake news. The post of the closure due to a COVID-19 outbreak has caused widespread panic in the community over the weekend. According to the KwaZulu-Natal Health Department - while twenty-three staff members at the hospital have tested positive - the me...

by Newsbreak Producers - The inclusion of men and women from previously disadvantage communities in sport has been brought to the forefront in a book written about one of the greatest South African golfers of colour - Sewsunker 'Papwa' Sewgolum. Out of the Rough, Papwa, A Player Denied, written by historian and author Selvan Naidoo tells the story of a man who was recognised in South Africa after...

by Newsbreak Producer, Hoosen Ebrahim - The Basic Education Department plans to appeal parts of a judgment setting aside the decision to rewrite two leaked matric exam papers. It says it will not push for the rewrite because of time constraints. On Friday the Pretoria High Court has ruled that the decision by Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, to force matrics to rewrite the leaked nationa...

by Newsbreak Producer, Taliesha Naidoo - Acclaimed academic, award-winning writer, theatre performer, poet and spiritualist Professor Kriben Pillay has died. The 62-year-old passed away yesterday morning after a brief illness. Tributes on social media have described Professor Pillay as an exceptional scholar, outstanding storyteller and a man with a razor sharp mind. Dr Satchu Annamalai, who share...