Newsbreak

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Rachel Vadi - 370 police officers from the South African Police Services (SAPS) have tested positive for COVID-19 over the last few months. Police spokesperson, Brigadier Vish Naidoo says two of the officers have since passed away. At the beginning of May, a Captain from the Eastern Cape province passed away, while a 55-year-old Warrant Officer...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeparshad - Social distancing is proving to be a gateway to mHealth. This is a technological process of providing medical tracking and medication oversight without face to face contact with the patient. The South African Medical Research Council has conducted a series of reviews into the efficacy of this. The findings suggest that th...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - Social media's most adored fighter pilot says the support he has been receiving from South Africans has lifted his spirits to greater heights. Captain Klyde Ross Naidoo of the South African Air Force, became the first South African of Indian origin to pilot the Gripen fighter aircraft just 10 days ago. The 27 year old, who was...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeparshad - Earlier we reported on the DA's bid to file papers in the High Court, questioning the rationality of three separate lockdown-related issues, namely the night curfew, the ban on e-commerce or online shopping, as well as the restriction on exercise hours. Political analyst Ongama Mtimka believes that the spirit of the DA's...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Senior Producer Genevieve Lanka - The unclaimed attack on a maternity ward in Kabul, Afghanistan, has sparked global outrage, with many calling the act a brazen war crime. According to reports, three gunmen stormed the ward, which is run by the international medical charity, Doctors Without Borders, and opened fire on patients and staff. They also threw...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Prosucer Rachel Vadi - Some South Africans have resorted to desperate measures to buy alcohol and cigarettes - the sale of which is prohibited under the National Disaster Act regulations. In Verulam, north of Durban, dozens of residents have fallen prey to a scam by a young man - who allegedly promised them alcohol but instead disappeared with their mon...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Rachel Vadi - The Department of Basic Education was unable to provide feedback today on the state of readiness to allow learners back to school on the 1st of June. Earlier this week, the department said that it was consulting with various stakeholders and would provide clarity by Thursday. But this was differed- following further engagement exp...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - Business Unity South Africa or BUSA has welcomed President Ramaphosa's announcement that the country could move to alert level three at the end of the month. BUSA CEO, Cas Coovadia says they are in consultation with government to reopen the economy with conditions and a list of exclusions, to avoid large-scale unemployment...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeparshad - The body of a new born baby was found dumped in a rubbish bin in Central Durban today. Life Response Paramedics were one of the first on scene- and made the grisly find along Dennis Hurley and Soldiers Way. At this stage it is not known who was responsible for the act. Operations manager Leon Fourie says the body of the b...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - Political parties have expressed confusion about last night's address by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The president told South Africans that consultations will take place on the phasing in of level 3 of the lockdown, possibly by the end of May. However, many parties have labelled the address confusing...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Senior Producer Genevieve Lanka - The eThekwini Municipality says all staff who were primary contacts of the Durban Solid Waste employee who tested positive for coronavirus - will be tested by the end of today. The City says a deep sanitisation of the Collingwood Road Depot in the Bluff, where the employee was based - has also been conducted. On Monday,...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - Police have captured a pride of seven Lions that have escaped from a private farm in Alldays, outside Louis Trichardt in Limpopo. The lions have been on the loose since yesterday, roaming through communities in the region. Police cannot confirm the damage caused by the pride at this stage. Spokesperson, Brigadier Motlafela Moja...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Senior Producer Genevieve Lanka - The Active Citizens Movement has dismissed the findings of a report on an incident in which KwaDukuza municipal peace officers allegedly manhandled a 4-year old child. The findings were the result of an urgent investigation by the KwaDukuza Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. The incident sparked public outraged after a vide...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeparshad - Only conveyancers will be allowed to enter deeds offices. This as the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development opened the doors of the deeds offices today. It will allow for a gradual start to the process of property administration. Spokesperson Reggie Ngcobo says the opening is imperative- because man...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Senior Producer Genevieve Lanka - More South Africans are looking to trade their current vehicles for a more cost-effective option. This is according to a study by AutoTrader South Africa based on searches on their web-platform. The automotive industry has welcomed the move by government to reopen the industry under stage four of the national lockdown....

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - The nationwide lockdown may have wreaked havoc on the economy, however, it has brought much needed relief to the environment. A preliminary analysis of satellite data on air pollution, shows a decrease in its concentration over South Africa in the past 49 days. This is according to a team of researchers at the Council for Scien...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - There's been alarm bells raised over SASSA's new WhatsApp number - introduced for the special "Social Relief of Distress Grant" - being non-responsive. Citizens are complaining and venting their frustration on social media over the available contact avenues, claiming it is not working. South African Social Security Agency (SASS...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Matthew Veeran - KwaZulu-Natal non-profit organisation - FEMSSISA - say plans to reopen schools on the first of June will put millions of children at risk of contracting COVID-19. Chairperson Vishnu Naidoo says instead - a resumption in August - along with strict sanitation and social distancing protocols - is a more viable option. Naidoo has a...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeparshad - United States President Donald has come under fire for insulting female journalists. This week he asked an Asian American female journalist named - Weija Jiang to ask her COVID-19 question to China. This is just another incident that has sparked more criticism against Trump's treatment of women in the media. Gender activi...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - Social media company, Twitter, has told employees that they can work from home forever, if they wish to do so. The coronavirus pandemic - which has infected more than four-point-two million people globally - has led to strict lockdowns in most countries and changed the way businesses function, with work-from-home emerging as th...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - The national lockdown has resulted in the prohibition of mass gatherings, including religious ones. However, with advanced technology, many prayers and religious practices have been able to continue in the virtual space. One such prayer is Durban's "Virtual Iftaar" which is the breaking of fast during the holy month of Ramadhan...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - Official government research shows that the lockdown ban on cigarettes is exposing millions of South Africans to the spread of COVID-19. That's according to research undertaken by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) showing that people buying illegal cigarettes are 50% more likely than others to have had close contact wi...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taliesha Naidoo - Tax directives finalised last month reveals that over 20,000 employees were retrenched during the month of April. According to Statistics South Africa, prospects for businesses look equally dire as liquidations increased by 12.3% with 46.4% of businesses having temporarily closed their doors. Equally concerning is the 54% of b...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - As scientists and medical experts from across the globe scramble to contain the Coronavirus pandemic, a Durban-based medical practitioner has engaged in an in-depth study, tracing historical data and conspiracies from as back as the 1918 flu pandemic. Speaking to Newsbreak on condition of anonymity, Dr. SD has documented his fi...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer, Taliesha Naidoo - A KwaZulu-Natal paramedic is cautioning motorists against passenger overloads. This after seven people were killed in an accident on the N2 highway near Umgeni road in Durban this morning. One person was seriously injured and remains in a critical condition at a Durban hospital. Spokesperson for the KZN EMS - Robert Mckenzie...