Newsbreak

By Newsbreak Presenter, Taresh Harreepershad and Producer, Rachel Vadi. National Child Protection Week is commemorated in the country annually to raise awareness of the rights of children as articulated in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and Children's Act (Act No. 38 of 2005). Government calls on all South Africans to support Child Protection Week by ensuring that the most vulner...

By Newsbreak Presenter and Producer, Taresh Harreepershad. A KwaZulu-Natal woman is giving back to her community after beating brain cancer. Lindiwe Dube started a soup kitchen last year after what she sees is a second chance at life. Now she is feeding more than one-hundred families in the Empangeni area, on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast.

By Newsbreak Senior Producer, Genevive Lanka - National Institute for Communicable Diseases says they have noted fewer Covid-19 tests conducted on children during the first and second waves. According to NICD epidemiologist Dr Tendesayi Kufa-Chekezha - this could be because parents are more reluctant to test children during the peak periods. The NICD released the quarterly COVID-19 in Children Sur...

By Newsbreak Producer, Rachel Vadi - Commemorating World Hunger Day today - humanitarian organisation, Gift of the Givers - are focusing its relief efforts in the Eastern Cape - where children were found eating plants for survival. Founder of Gift of the Givers, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman says the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown period exacerbated poverty in the country. He says the situation has highl...

By Newsbreak Producer Rachel Vadi - Today is World Menstrual Hygiene Day and according to experts in the field, this natural phenomena has often been swept under carpets and hidden from conversations in society for far to long. A virtual event hosted by Salome on their Facebook and Instagram pages intends to break the glass ceiling on this all too often taboo subject. 3Sixty Biomedicine CEO, Boitu...

By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeparshad - Supporters of Israel in South Africa say they are being harassed for having an opinion on the conflict in the Middle East. Following the ceasefire brokered between Israel and Hamas seven days ago, protests and activism locally has continued in earnest. But the South African Jewish Board of Deputys say the Jewish community is being bullied for their stan...

By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeshad - South African legislation recognises long term partners as spouses - but grey areas may arise in the interpretation of the law. This is why unmarried couples living together are being advised to have a legal will in place, in the event of death. This will alleviate any uncertainty about who an estate should go to, in relationships out of wedlock. Linda Cof...

By Newsbreak Producer Rachel Vadi - Millions of South Africans may soon be left high and dry as the final payment of the Covid-19 Social Relief Grant terminates at the end of May. The grant was originally slated to run from May to October 2020 as a temporary provision of assistance during the pandemic. Following a couple of extensions due to the amendments to the State of Disaster Act - the extens...

By Newsbreak Producer Genevieve Lanka - As Covid-19 infections continue to rise across South Africa, there have been heightened concerns about the rate of infection among children. This week, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) released the quarterly COVID-19 in Children Surveillance Report. The report reveals that nine-point-four percent of confirmed cases are children aged 18...

By Newsbreak Senior Producer, Genevive Lanka - From completing matric with sixteen percent in mathematics, 21-year-old Theshaya Naidoo will graduate today with 16 distinctions. Naidoo will be conferred with a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree, cum laude, from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The Pietermaritzburg student was honoured with several awards during her studies. These include the Emma S...

By Newsbreak Producer, Tashlan Naidoo. The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has labelled as premature, this morning's announcement by the Gauteng Transport MEC, Jacob Mamabolo, that a decision has been taken to scrap the provincial e-toll system. The controversial system has been widely criticised by motorists, civil society organisations and opposition parties. Last week, the Minister of Tra...

By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeparshad - Requesting Advocate Billy Downer to recuse himself is the final attempt by Jacob Zuma to evade having to deal with the allegations against him. That's how The Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC) viewed yesterday's court proceedings in the former presidents corruption trial. The Pietermaritzburg High Court postponed the...

By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeparshad - The Durban Point Magistrate's Court will be the first in the country to allow domestic violence survivors to apply for a protection order online. Speaking at the National Assembly Justice and Constitutional Development, Minister Ronald Lamola explained that court services like summons were physically served by police or sheriffs - but will now be able t...

By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - Standing in solidarity with the people of Palestine, the Lajpaal Foundation will host a peaceful protest tomorrow in Durban, calling for an end to Israeli attacks on Palestinians. The foundation focuses on education, crises assistance, propagation and spiritual upliftment. Managing member of the organisation, Zaahir Deen, says although the attacks are taking...

By Newsbreak Producer Matthew Veeran - A research paper by Durban University of Technology (DUT) Industrial Engineering alum Saijal Sucheran has uncovered the harsh realities surrounding food waste management at South African restaurants. As millions continue to suffer from poverty worldwide, Sucheran's study found that over TEN MILLION tonnes of food goes to waste in the country annually. The jun...

By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - Keeping her eye on the prize amidst the Covid-19 lockdown, Zaakirah Moola has been awarded a Bachelor of Optometry summa cum laude from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. With her dream to one day set-up eye clinics for the less privileged - Moola is ready to see what her future in optometry looks like. Speaking to Shanell, the recent graduate shares some insig...

By Newsbreak Producer Matthew Veeran - Criminal law expert, Advocate Mannie Witz says it is unlikely that a ruling on former President Jacob Zuma's special plea will be handed down today. The Pietermaritzburg High Court is expected to hear the former President's special plea calling for the recusal of lead state prosecutor, Advocate Billy Downer. The state will also have the opportunity to respond...

By Newsbreak Producer Matthew Veeran - KwaZulu-Natal member of the provincial legislature Les Govender is in an upbeat mood after being administered with the COVID-19 vaccine, calling on all over sixties to follow suit. The 67-year-old received the jab last week at the Nelson Mandela Youth Centre in Chatsworth and has been assisting with operations there ever since. Govender meanwhile, dismissed c...

By Newsbreak Producer Matthew Veeran - Choosing to explore a different project in order to advance her research and innovation skill, PhD candidate - Dr. Maqsooda Mahomed, does not take her studies lightly. This is shown by her choice to delve into the scarce yet fascinating field of weather study, focusing on lightning for her PhD in Agro-meteorology. In this week's TechnoTouch, we speak to Dr. M...

By Newsbreak Producer Matthew Veeran - Motorists in Gauteng have been urged to practice extreme caution when travelling along high risk routes in the city of gold. This after criminals have been found using a tactic to halt vehicles with "road spikes" before robbing people travelling on key routes. Hotspot areas include the N4 Mpumalanga to Pretoria, the N4 Pretoria to Mpumalanga, the N1 Polokwane...

By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - Executive member of the Active Citizens Movement (ACM) - Aslam Mayat says it would be a travesty to South Africa's democracy and it's people if the trial against Zuma continues to be delayed. Mayat believes that if Zuma is found guilty, it would send a very strong message to those in the public and private sector, that corrupt activities will eventually be ex...

By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - The "Hands off Msholozi Solidarity and Support Group" gathered yesterday for a night vigil in a show of support for the under-fire former President Jacob Zuma. Hoosen Ebrahim found out what transpired, he spoke to reporter Vusi Makhosini earlier this morning...

By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - A traditional court in Zimbabwe has ordered former First Lady Grace Mugabe to exhume the remains of her late husband - the controversial former President Robert Mugabe. The court has instructed that the late statesmen be reburied at "Heroes Acre" in Harare. The decision comes after a traditional chief received a complaint from a Mugabe clan member, over the m...

By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - The SA Gun Association believes that if the Draft Firearms Control Amendment Bill is passed into legislation - citizens will opt to rather get their hands on unlicensed firearms. This as the bill aims to remove self-defense as a reason for applying for a firearm, which has caused an outcry from interested groups. The draft was made public last week and commen...

By Newsbreak Producer's Shanell Daniel and Tashlan Naidoo - The Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC) believe that former President Jacob Zuma could be looking to be acquitted of charges through his special plea seeking the recusal of lead state prosecutor, Advocate Billy Downer. Zuma and French arms company Thales will be back in the Pietermaritzurg High Court tomo...