As the year 2024 gravitates towards the end, Sunday World takes a look back at the Top 5 citizens who made South Africa proud despite high crime and unemployment rates and Eskom’s unprecedented power cuts which left the populace without power by up to 10 times a day.
President Ramaphosa
The world over has been in political and economic turmoil and requiring the wisdom of Solomon to change the trajectory.
First, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the war that has seen the destruction of the countries’ infrastructure, required diplomatic intervention. Is it not surprising that our own president rose to the occasion and offered to diplomatically intervene in a situation that was getting out of hand.
Ramaphosa flew to Ukraine and Russia to spread the word of peace and dialogue, a move that earned SA praise from various quarters, including the UN.
Ramaphosa is also playing a significant role in quelling tensions in the Palestine-Israel conflict, forcing the warring parties to engage in dialogue.
More importantly, it was Ramaphosa’s intervention that caused President Vladimir Putin to abandon the idea of attending the Brics Summit in Johannesburg, a move that could have caused political and diplomatic complications.
In the home front, Ramaphosa, confronted with debilitating blackouts, created a new ministry of electricity to deal with the crisis. For that we say in you, South Africa has pragmatic leader and a beacon of hope.
Springboks
Not only did the Springboks win the 2023 Rugby World Cup and successfully defended their title, but they also lifted the prestigious Webb Ellis trophy for a record fourth time and claimed the status of being the greatest rugby nation to ever grace the rugby field.
The Boks’ historic feat came at a time when South Africans needed hope amid all the drama, shenanigans and madness happening in the country.
Even loadshedding came to a halt at some point during the World Cup.
The Boks did not only win the World Cup, they also won the country a public holiday, which we celebrated on Friday, December 15.
Zakes Bantwini, Wouter Kellerman and Nomcebo Zikode
Zakes Bantwini, Wouter Kellerman and Nomcebo Zikode did not only place their names in the pantheon when they won Grammy Awards this year, but also put South Africa on the global map.
The trio won the Best Global Music Performance in the Global Music gong for their hit Bayethe at music’s most prestigious event in Los Angeles this year.
Given that the Grammy Awards are musically the biggest stage in the world, the accolade they won was an indication that our artists are not only competitive in the global music market but also play a pivotal role in promoting the country’s culture and heritage.
Desiree Ellis
In 2016, when Desiree Ellis was appointed to take over the reins of the South African women’s team, the local football association, Safa, was clearly cautious with its move.
It named Ellis as interim coach of the team, after Vera Pauw of the Netherlands had resigned.
Banyana Banyana had just been eliminated from the Olympics qualifiers.
Ellis stepped in and made Banyana winners with immediate effect.
This year she led the team to its first ever World Cup, where it reached the last-16 round.
This month CAF named her Female Coach of the Year for the fourth time in a row.
In September, she also won the Momentum Coach of the Year in Johannesburg. It was an inimitable year for the unmatchable Ellis.
Competition Commission
The Competition Commission was hard at work this year.
From reaching an agreement with Spar Group aimed at ending long-term exclusive lease contracts in the grocery retail sector to referring a complaint against Sasol Gas for excessive pricing of natural piped gas.
However, the commission landed a big punch when it made British multinational lender Standard Chartered to fork out R42.7-million for its role in the currency manipulation cartel.
