Newsbreak

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer, Shanell Daniel - Health Minister, Zweli Mkhize, has announced that the number of confirmed Covid19 infections in South Africa has risen to 554 - with two patients currently in ICU at private hospitals. Last night President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a 21 day national lockdown, starting at midnight on Thursday, to help curve the spread of the co...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer, Taliesha Naidoo - Social grant recipients are being urged to put their health first when recieving early payments amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will be paying grants to older persons and persons with disabilities on the 30th and 31st of March. All other forms of grants will be paid on the fir...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer, Tashlan Naidoo - Queues at large retailers have been forming since the early hours of this morning as people stock up on the essentials, as the country goes on lockdown from Thursday midnight. South Africa now has 554 cases of COVID19 as of this morning. Social media has been inundated with photos and videos of long queues and loaded trolleys...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer, Matthew Veeran - The South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) has welcomed a lockdown of South Africa and the inclusion of media as essential services during these trying times. Reacting to the President's historic address last night, acting SANEF Media Freedom Chair - Mary Papayya says it is imperative for journalists to be able to do th...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taliesha Naidoo - The Department of Social Development have various plans in place to ensure the smooth roll-out of early grant payments. The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will be paying grants to older persons and persons with disabilities on the 30th and 31st of March. All other forms of grants will be paid on the first of Apri...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taliesha Naidoo - The Phoenix Religious Leaders Forum has taken a decision to close all religious centres in Phoenix, north of Durban. Chairperson of the forum - Moulana Mohammed Tariq says all religious organisations in the community must abide by the decision and embrace electronic mediums of continuing their prayer...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - In a time of social distancing, self-isolation and rising anxiety surrounding COVID-19 or Coronavirus - people have begun expressing fear and in some instances depression. The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) says the current pandemic is causing many South Africans to feel uneasy - and they are always here to...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Executive Producer Salma Patel - Messages of concern have been pouring in asking about the health and well-being of social activist Ela Gandhi. Ela had travelled to Italy and returned on February 14. She met with Pope Francis in the Vatican City after her keynote address on February 11, during World Interfaith Harmony Week, in Italy. The 79-year-old has...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producers Tashlan Naidoo and Shanell Daniel - With a 21 day "stay-at-home" lockdown starting soon - certain human rights, including the right to freedom of movement, is RESTRICTED. Executive Secretary of the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC) - Lawson Naidoo has reacted to the President's address last night. In this in...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer, Taliesha Naidoo - E-learning and virtual education is capitalising on the suspension of the academic programmes at several higher education institutions across the country. Durban academic, Professor Zaheer Hamid explains how online tools and resources can help students stay abreast with their studies while practicing social distancing in the...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer, Taliesha Naidoo - Soap and water is as effective as hand sanitizers in curbing the spread of COVID-19. That's according to Dr Terrence Komal - CEO of Medical Expert Group and retired military doctor. He says your regular soap and water is optimal to keeping your hands clean if you wash them as often as possible. As we head into what many term...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer, Taliesha Naidoo - KwaZulu-Natal police are expected to release a statement today about the number of liquor outlets who have failed to adhere to the national orders on alcohol sale over the weekend. A number of restaurant owners have claimed that they were arrested over the weekend for allegedly contravening the orders. SABC news reporter, Non...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeparshad - While the COVID-19 alert keeps everybody operating as business unusual - more and more people have resorted to working from home. But is it as easy as it sounds? Training manager at Kwelanga Training Andrea Graham provides some helpful tips on how to get the most done- when you work from home...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Tashlan Naidoo - The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has brought forward the payment of social grants for the elderly and persons with disabilities for the month of April in an effort to lower the risk of Covid-19 infections. SASSA plan to curb the spread by reducing congestion at retailers and banks. Grants are said to be paid on...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Rachel Vadi - The South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) has come out in strong criticism after two SABC journalists were allegedly attacked by police at the scene of service delivery protests in Port Elizabeth. It's believed that Zolani Moya and Gcobani Blom, were at the Motherwell intersection on the Addo Road outside Port Elizabeth whe...

SABC News and Current Affairs — Following last night's mammoth meeting on the nations way forward to fight COVID-19- President Cyrial Ramaphosa is expected to provide more information today. The President was expected to brief South Africans on the outcomes of a special meeting with the National Command Council yesterday. Due to the the lengthy and critical nature of those engagements- the decisio...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreeparshad - The execution of the four Indian men who gang-raped a Delhi medical student in 2012 will not change the reality that these crimes still continue in India. That's according to Dr. Shruti Kapoor - founder of gender rights Sayfty in India. This group was founded after the horrific 2012 ordeal- commonly referred to as the "Ni...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Rachel Vadi - 750,000 bars of soap - worth around R5-million, have been donated to young learners and selected old-age homes and frail care centres across the country to promote good hand hygiene and help play a role in curbing the spread of the Coronavirus. David Sweidan, Willowton Group Marketing Executive, says over 600 schools will receive...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Executive Producer Salma Patel - This year South Africa commemorates the 160th Anniversary of the Arrival of Indian Indentured Labour to the country. As South Africa grapples to contain the spread of the Coronavirus, Selvan Naidoo the curator of the 1860 Heritage Centre says when cholera broke out on 1861, the labourers were kept in quarantine - a situa...

SABC News and Current Affairs — By Newsbreak Producer Taresh Harreepershad - As panic and despair grips South Africa in the wake of the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Sheroan Rawat discusses the psychological effect of Corona Virus has on individuals and society.

SABC News and Current Affairs — by Newsbreak Executive Producer, Salma Patel - It was anything but a regular morning on the Newsbreak Lotus FM Current Affairs programme on Wednesday morning. With new government regulations and strict protocols to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the team had a tough time keeping a straight face when this whatsapp voicenote came through.......

SABC News and Current Affairs — All prayers at the Jummah Musjid mosque in the Durban CBD have been suspended to the public until further notice, to curb the spread of the Coronavirus. Popularly known as the Grey street Musjid, it is the biggest prayer facility in the southern hemisphere where over 3000 worshippers congregate on Fridays for the Jummah prayers alone. Chief Trustee of the Mosque - A...

SABC News and Current Affairs — India has executed four men for a notorious gang rape and murder on a bus in the capital, Delhi in 2012. The attack led to an outpouring of anger from many women about widespread sexual harassment and violence, and prompted the government to tighten India's rape laws. The BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan reports......

SABC News and Current Affairs — Police Minister Bheki Cele has reiterated that gatherings of more than one hundred people will not be tolerated. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced this as one of the measures of the state of disaster declared to try and slow the spread of the coronavirus. Cele says claims - that those wishing to have larger gatherings can approach their local police stations for p...

SABC News and Current Affairs — by Newsbreak Producer, Taliesha Naidoo - As fears mount about the spread of COVID-19 worldwide, health-care professionals are urging citizens to arm themselves with the facts. Dr Terrence Kommal - a retired military captain - answers some of the most common Coronavirus related questions by first explaining how the virus can live outside its host..........