Newsbreak

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer, Rachel Vadi - Award-winning journalist, Nivashni Nair Sukdhev has taken her skill of writing breaking hard hitting stories to a new level - penning her personal story as a Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome warrior in her debut book entitled What's On My Mind? Making Babies. Nair-Sukdhev says there were several moments when she stopped writing becaus...

SABC News and Current Affairs — India has fast-tracked the search for a vaccine against coronavirus as the number of people affected by the respiratory infection topped 35,000. The country's research industry kicked into high gear with hundreds of scientists working tirelessly to find a cure for the pandemic which has claimed more than 200,000 lives globally. Rana Senn reports...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer, Taliesha Naidoo - The Democratic Nursing Union of SA (Denosa) says the death of a nurse from the Addington Hospital in Durban will be investigated by police. Messages have been circulating on social media that the nurse, who had passed away last night, had tested positive for COVID-19. However, Denosa KwaZulu-Natal Secretary - Mandla Shabangu...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Rachel Vadi - The South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU) says it will not support the re-opening of schools as presented by the director-general of basic education Mathanzima Mweli to the parliamentary education portfolio committee. Mwelia proposed that initially only Grade 7 and Grade 12 learners go back to school, with other grades...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Rachel Vadi - With the COVID-19 screenings and testing well under way in KwaZulu- Natal, Newsbreak's Rachel Vadi canvassed the views of some residents who have already been screened and/or tested, others who are waiting to be tested and those who do not want to participate in the public testing. Community health-care workers have been going doo...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - "Alert Level 5" of the lockdown ended with a large contingency of law enforcement cracking down on people who continue to defy regulations in Isipingo and Merebank, south of Durban. That is according to spokesperson for local security company, PT Tactical, Dhevan Govindasamy. Yesterday, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Community Safety an...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeparshad - Staying with matters in the education sector... Chairperson of the South Durban branch of the KwaZulu-Natal Parents Association Vee Gani says the proposal to gradually re-open schools is irresponsible...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeparshad - Remember him with a smile: that's how Durban dance icon Smeetha Maharaj hopes the world reflects on the passing away of Indian actor Rishi Kapoor. Maharaj and her husband worked with Kapoor when he was shooting "Prem Granth" in South Africa in 1995. The Bollywood icon was laid to rest yesterday after battling Leukemia for...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeparshad - Acclaimed film critic Murtaza Ali Khan says that the passing away of iconic actor Rishi Kapoor will plunge the Indian film industry into dispair. This follows the death of another screen icon Irrfan Khan who was lai to rest yesterday. 67 year old Rishi Kapoor passed away after a two year battle with leukemia. Resilient to...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Prodcuer Matthew Veeran - With smokers expressing OUTRAGE over the decision to uphold the ban on tobacco sales, non-profit organisation the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) have responded. They allege to now be in the process of taking legal action against government. FITA go on to say that the sudden about turn by the government is "mi...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeparshad - COVID-19 has made mourning the loss of acclaimed Indian actor Irrfan Khan even more difficult. Khan was buried at a cemetery in northern Mumbai yesterday. The 53-year-old actor was admitted to hospital with a colon infection. He had been battling cancer since 2018. Sadly Khan lost his 95-year-old mother a few days ago as...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - COVID-19 is compelling higher education institutions to rethink and redefine their plans of action. That's according to Managing Director of REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL - Dr Ahmed Shaikh. He's actively engaged as an advisor to the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry - on how the new pandemic has shifted the way businesses operate...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeparshad - Government needs to be clear about it's roll out of water projects. That's according to Amnesty International. The organisation has launched the "Turn on the Tap campaign" where citizens can get involved to ensure that all South Africa's water and sanitation needs are met during the critical time of COVID-19. In this week...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - Whether or not a phased approach to reopening schools is practical remains questionable. This is according to Education Expert from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Professor Labby Ramrathan. Yesterday, Department of Basic Education Director, General Mathanzima Mwelia proposed that initially only Grade 7 and Grade 12 pupils go...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - The announcement of the lockdown by President Cyril Ramaphosa over a month ago now has had far reaching consequences for various businesses including airlines. The travel and tourism industry is undergoing an enormous period of upheaval with an exceptionally uncertain future. Airlines have been one of the hardest hit, with rest...

SABC News and Current Affairs — The United Kingdom will launch the first contact-tracing coronavirus app which is set to be 'ready in two to three weeks'. The mobile app will help the UK emerge from the current lockdown. It plans to log the location of whenever two or more people are in close proximity for minutes at a time. However, the app has been met with much reaction from critics who says th...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - There is still no clarity regarding physical teaching or examinations at school level. Both the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga and the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Blade Nzimande, were due to update the nation on the reopening of learning facilities. However, the briefing was cancelled at the last mi...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - Investigations are underway to track down house-robbery suspects who assaulted an elderly couple in Phoenix, north of Durban. According to Chairperson for the Phoenix Crime Prevention Forum - Umesh Singh, a couple were assaulted and robbed of their valuables during their early morning prayers. Singh says even despite the strict...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Matthew Veeran - A group of concerned academics, civil society leaders, lecturers and students have appealed to the public to sign a petition - calling for higher-education institutions to RETHINK the rollout of online education. The group claim that going online immediately puts millions of South Africans at a disadvantage due to the high cost...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - As the national lockdown eases and the country begin to implement the five stage "alert system", we could start seeing an increase in house burglaries and other crimes. This is according to the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Head of Justice & Violence Prevention, Gareth Newham. He says that they've noticed a decrease in i...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - Policy holders who have a long term insurance contract in place have been cautioned against non-payment of premiums affecting their cover preferences. This is according to the Ombudsman for Long-term Insurance. Jennifer Preiss - who is the Deputy Ombudsman of the Ombudsman for Long-term Insurance - says consumers must ensure th...

SABC News and Current Affairs — by Newsbreak Producer, Hoosen Ebrahim - People have been urged to stop entertaining the homeless roaming around streets during the national lockdown. Thats the call made by a private security company who says that the homeless are now becoming a nuisance in most suburbs. Spokesperson, Dheven Govindasami says that homeowners are sympathetic to loiterers by handing ov...

SABC News and Current Affairs — by Newsbreak Producer, Hoosen Ebrahim - The South African Medical Association (SAMA) has expressed reservations after the arrival of more than 200 doctors from Cuba to help with the battle against the coronavirus. The brigade include epidemiologists, physicians and biotechnologists. SAMA says government should first utilise the skills of retired and unemployed docto...

SABC News and Current Affairs — Five weeks into the national COVID-19 lockdown - workers who are not registered with the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), are among the hardest hit financially. For those registered with the UIF - under the Covid-19 Temporary Relief Scheme provision - the fund will pay employers the cost of employees' salaries for up to three months. This was announced earlier by...

SABC News and Current Affairs — by Newsbreak Executive Producer, Salma Patel - The United States Government has injected 22-point-seven million dollars into the country to support South Africa's fight against the coronavirus. Infections now stand at 4793 in the country. Come May the first the country is expected to downgrade to lockdwon level four which will mean the implementation of a curfew fro...