Newsbreak

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - Police have arrested several of their colleagues accused of breaking the law during the national lockdown. So far, over 100 police officers are behind bars for alleged corruption during the national lockdown. Police Minister Bheki Cele says all implicated officers must be axed from the service if they are found guilty. Police a...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - With the country making adjustments to what can and cannot be done during the lockdown, psychologists have urged parents to ensure the stability and mental health of their children. Reports show that fear, uncertainty and stress continue to be a concern affecting young minds during this time. Professor Kobus Maree - who heads t...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taliesha Naidoo - COVID-19 cast a dark shadow over Freedom Day celebrations as the country remains under lockdown. The theme for this year's Freedom Month celebrations is solidarity and the triumph of the human spirit in these challenging times. As some South Africans have been lamenting the loss of freedom during the lockdown, others have been...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taliesha Naidoo - South Africans are reflecting on the various inequalities that many still face - 26 years into democracy. Ironically, the country celebrated Freedom Day yesterday while under lockdown due to COVID-19. The global pandemic has compelled the government to invoke strict regulations that limit citizen's rights and freedom to curb t...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - Six Chinese fishing trawlers were detained and issued with fines after they had entered South African waters without the required permission. The trawlers were detected entering the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the Northern Cape coast earlier this month. They were intercepted off the Western Cape coast and ordered to dock...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Rachel Vadi - As we celebrate Freedom Day today, political stalwarts across the country have paid homage to the late great political activist and anti-apartheid struggle veteran Ramsamy Dorasamy or "RD" Naidu. Yesterday marked the 30th death anniversary of Naidu - who passed away at a political rally at the then University of Westville (now UKZ...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has condemned the police's "abusive tactics" as well as verbal abuse against the Prophet Mohammed. The incident which has been widely circulated on social media, shows law enforcement entering a prayer facility in Mpumalanga with their boots - uttering derogatory terms against t...

SABC News and Current Affairs — The eThekwini Metro COULD remain under strict lockdown - at Level 5 - a little longer, while the rest of the country moves to Level 4. KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala made this announcement yesterday AFTER President Cyril Ramaphosa's indicated that some restrictions will be relaxed from the 1st of May. Zikalala was giving updates in Durban about the coronavirus...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Executive Producer Salma Patel - The Department of Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs - COGTA - has amended regulations which now allow the distribution of hot, cooked food for the destitute during the lockdown. DA COGTA Shadow Minister in the national assembly, Haniff Hoosen, says this will allow for the traditional soup, Haleem, to be dis...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrhaim - An emergency contingent of 216 Cuban doctors arrived in South Africa yesterday to assist health-care officials in stopping the spread of COVID-19 in the country. The members of the so-called "medical brigade" include Cuban family physicians, epidemiologists, biologists, health-care technology experts, engineering experts, biote...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Hoosen Ebrahim - Wills and estate administration company "Capital Legacy" has provided a free telephonic will-drafting service with complementary cover at no cost to South Africa's public sector health-care workers. The company says it is imperative for health-care workers to ensure they get their financial affairs in order as they continue to...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - One needs to be psychologically strong to withstand being COVID-19 positive. These are the sentiments of 45-year-old Vincent Madurai - originally from Phoenix, north of Durban, now working as an emergency department nurse manager in Abu Dhabi - the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Just a few days ago Madurai received the sh...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeparshad - It's been a long journey, but South African citizen Orelia Pria Egambaram is grateful that she is closer to home. She is currently doing her PhD in Chemistry at Kent University in the United Kingdom - but due to the lockdown there, she was compelled to request repatriation to South Africa. She eventually reached South Afr...

SABC News and Current Affairs — President Cyril Ramaphosa says from the first of May, the country's current nationwide lockdown will be lowered from Level Five to Level Four. He says some economic activities will be allowed to resume subject to extreme precautions to limit transmission. The president was speaking at the Union Buildings in Pretoria last night following his meeting with the National...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Rachel Vadi - Judgement in the case questioning the constitutional rights of individuals to perform traditional prayers during the month of Ramadan, is expected either today or by latest on Monday. Yesterday, the court heard arguments around the restrictions imposed by the South African government preventing congregational prayer - especially d...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Matthew Veeran - A family man who always wanted to help others. That is how 38-year-old Dr. Rivendra Narain is being remembered. The Tongaat resident was killed yesterday - after two intruders allegedly entered his home. His 20-month-old daughter and wife escaped unharmed. Dr. Narain was a mathematics lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal...

SABC News and Current Affairs — President Cyril Ramaphosa says government will only be guided by scientific evidence before re-opening the country for economic activity. The number of Coronavirus infections has risen to over 3 600 with over 126-thousand tests conducted countrywide. President Ramaphosa will this evening address the nation on measures aimed at easing the lockdown and lift restrictio...

SABC News and Current Affairs — A staff member from the Oxford Freshmarket store in The Bluff, south of Durban has tested positive for the coronavirus. The announcement was made yesterday by owner Brett Latimer who said the staffer arrived at work with a cold. Latimer adds that the store is sanitized once a week in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus. In this statement sent to Newsbreak, L...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeparshad - Durban informal dwellers can breathe a sigh of relief - when over 300,000 masks are expected to be distributed tomorrow to help control the spread of COVID-19. This is a partnership between Sibaya Community Trust and the KwaZulu-Natal government. Philanthropist Vivian Reddy says that the masks will help the underprivilege...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Shanell Daniel - While there has been a reduction in pollution due to the national lockdown, once society resumes, an increase in pollution can be expected. This is according to Director of GroundWork - Bobby Peek. GroundWork is a non-profit environmental justice service and developmental organization, In this week's Greenscene, Peek explains w...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Matthew Veeran - With both learners and parents concerned about the status of the 2020 academic year, a local non-profit organisation seem to have come up with a solution. FEMSSISA Chairperson - Vishnu Naidoo has listed a number of strategies that can be implemented when schooling eventually resumes. These include increasing the school day by a...

SABC News and Current Affairs — It's not clear if former President Jacob Zuma will approach the Constitutional Court after his application to appeal the Pietermaritzburg High Court's ruling was rejected by the Supreme Court of Appeal. The former President had petitioned the SCA directly after the Pietermaritzburg High Court dismissed his application for a permanent stay of prosecution. Zuma and Fr...

SABC News and Current Affairs — by Newsbreak Producer, Taresh Harreeparshad - UKZN mathematics lecturer Dr. Rivendra Narain was killed in his Tongaat home this morning- when two suspects allegedly broke into his house. A father of a 20month old baby: He succumbed to his head injury in the attack. According to police his wife and the baby escaped unharmed. The suspects made off with two cellphones...

SABC News and Current Affairs — by Newsbreak Producer, Shanell Daniel - Journalists and media organisations across the country can access much-needed funding following economic struggles associated with the national lockdown. This is according to media analyst and acting chair of SANEF Media Freedom, Mary Papayya. She says the funding is aimed at helping journalists who are facing pay cuts and fre...

SABC News and Current Affairs — by Newsbreak Executive Producer, Salma Patel - The application by a small group of Muslim clerics to compel President Cyril Ramaphosa to relax the lockdown regulations allowing mosques to open has been postponed until tomorrow. Ramadan, the Islamic month where Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn until dusk will begin this week. Legal practitioner Saber Ahm...