SABC Joburg News Features
Interesting and thought-provoking news feature stories produced by the Johannesburg Radio News Team.
04
AUG
COVID-19 inspires new melodies
Artists often rely on what is happening around them for inspiration. As the world goes through the coronavirus pandemic, people have been forced to adapt to the changes around them. While some artists have used this time to reflect on old material, others have changed how they write songs and create melodies. Pearl Magubane compiled this report…
03
AUG
Johannesburg church mourns via drive through funeral
With the prolonged lockdown, an increasing number of COVID-19 deaths and strict funeral protocols, South Africans are opting for alternative ways to express their grief. The African Evangelist Church Women's fellowship group in Johannesburg, bid farewell to one of its own, with a drive-through condolence session. Ditaba Tsotetsi reports..
03
AUG
Universities lambasted for failing to protect students from COVID-19
The South African Union of Students has lambasted some institutions for failing to protect returning students. Thousands of students have gone back to campus following the Department of Higher Education's decision to allow medical students and final year students back to school. Angela Bolowana reports...
03
AUG
Protracted COVID-19 processes causes body pile up at mortuaries
Funeral parlours are outraged at the protracted tasks relating to the processing of documentation that enable them to transport bodies out of the country for burial. They say since the outbreak of the Corona Virus, it now takes more than a week to finalise paperwork of foreign nationals who die in the country, resulting in bodies piling up at mortuaries. This has left many frustrated and has added to their woes as the COVID-19 death toll soars. Sashin Naidoo has the details...
03
AUG
Funeral parlours grapple to cope with soaring COVID-19 burials
Funeral parlours are under immense pressure and are battling to cope with the high number of burials they have to perform daily due to increased deaths from the Coronavirus. They say bodies are piling up and at times they are forced to wait at the cemeteries for graves to be dug. The pandemic has drastically transformed the death-care industry with staff also fear contracting the virus. Sashin Naidoo reports..
30
JUL
Surge in COVID-19 cases causes backlog in surgery for babies
The surge in the number of Corona Virus cases has forced hospitals to postpone non-essential operations which has caused a backlog of children in urgent need of life changing surgery. To ensure patient safety and to enable hospitals to effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, all elective surgeries have been postponed, since the beginning of the lockdown. The SMILE foundation is now rallying to provide financial support to hospitals in order for cleft lip palate operations to take place. Prabashini Moodley reports...
30
JUL
Johannesburg parents to take legal action against Christian school for barring their child entry
The family of a nine-year-old learner who was denied entry into a private Christian school in Johannesburg for wearing Isiphandla, says they are taking legal action against the school. The learner's mother, Nelly Sisilana Mthembu, says her son will not return to the Christian Life Private School after he was barred from entering the school for wearing the bracelet made from animal skin. Prabashini Moodley reports...
28
JUL
AFRICAN TRADITIONAL MEDICINE vs WESTERN MEDICINE
The conflict between the use of African Traditional Medicine and Western medicine has intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no existing vaccine or cure for the virus which has claimed around 654-thousand lives globally. In South Africa, many people have sought to use an age old African herb called Artemisia afra or umhlonyane in Nguni, to manage symptoms of COVID-19. Thabile Mbhele reports…
27
JUL
DIABETES AND COVID-19
The corona virus infection is unmasking diabetes that's undiagnosed by causing high glucose levels. That's according to at least two Johannesburg based specialist doctors dealing with diabetes. They are seeing more patients presenting with diabetes after a corona virus infection. They have encouraged people to always test their glucose levels at every health screening, particularly now during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thabile Mbhele reports…
25
JUL
HIV VAGINAL RING
A vaginal ring has moved one step closer to becoming a new HIV prevention method for women in sub-Saharan Africa. This comes after the Europe's regulatory body gave the dapivirine vaginal ring the green light. The vaginal ring - which contains an antiretroviral dapivirine - releases the antiretroviral over a period of a month, showed that it reduces chances of HIV transmission by 35 percent in women. The authorisation allows the International Partnership for Microbicides, the manufacturers of the vaginal ring, to obtain approvals for the ring to be used in countries where it is needed the most including in South Africa. Thabile Mbhele reports...
23
JUL
Durban man still COVID-19 positive after strict isolation
A KwaZulu-Natal man remains baffled as he is still COVID-19 positive, despite a strict 14-day quarantine. The government employee conducted the test after his wife tested positive for the Corona Virus that has already claimed almost 6-thousand lives in the country. This comes after Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize announced last week that the recommended isolation period for patients with a confirmed Covid-19 infection has been reduced from 14 to 10 days. Prabashini Moodley reports...
21
JUL
UMHLONYANE OVERDOSE
Reports of people overdosing on umhlonyane or Artemisia afra have sparked a debate on how to use the African traditional herb in the prevention and management of diseases. Umhlonyane has been used for decades by traditional healers to treat various illnesses, including respiratory symptoms. However recently, people have started abusing and overdosing on umhlonyane as they try to prevent contracting the coronavirus. Currently there is no vaccine or cure for COVID-19. Thabile Mbhele reports....
