From Zama Zamas to Spazas, Chidimma and Sbusiso Lawrence: 12 Biggest Talking Points in SA in 2024
- The year 2024 was full of explosive news that took readers through a whirlwind of emotions, ensuring SA had no shortage of drama
- Tragedy was at the top of the news agenda, as reflected in most of the top 10 stories compiled by Briefly News, with two others in sharp focus
- Everything from a scorned lover documenting a Facebook murder to Bafana's dramatic AFCON 2023 semi-final loss plastered the news this year
Source: Twitter
SOUTH AFRICA — Like most years, 2024 boasted its share of dramatic thrills and spills, decorated with colourful moments from top to bottom.
The fascinating stories had South Africans glued to their screens, enthralled by the exhilarating and, at times, mind-numbing news items.
12 Biggest talking points in SA in 2024
For their profound and grisly nature, some left readers at a loss, while others raised the pulse in more inspirational ways.
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Ultimately, there was no shortage of intrigue, ensuring an abundance of talking points for endless days — or, in this case — an entire year.
Briefly News looks at the top news trends that kept local readers on their phones, making for an exciting and entertaining year that was.
1. Man documents girlfriend's murder
Shock and alarm rippled across SA when a jilted lover confessed to killing his girlfriend, uploading a video documenting his actions to Facebook.
Adding to the horror was a photo of the woman's lifeless body riddled with stab wounds. Police discovered her killer, Sbusisiso Lawrence Ntaka, not far from where she lay. He had reportedly hung himself from a tree.
The incident happened in Umzinto, an area outside Durban, on Tuesday, 17 December. In his confession, Ntaka accused Nontobeko Cele of falling pregnant with another man's child while they were still involved.
2. Madonsela, Mkhwebane enter Miss SA fuss
Amid the Miss South Africa (SA) saga, former public protectors Busisiwe Mkhwebane and Thuli Madonsela added to the raging debate.
Then, in August, former top 11 finalist Chidimma Onwe Adetshina's Nigerian heritage ensured that she became the subject of heavy public scrutiny.
With locals fueling the chatter, Mkhwebane and Madonsela argued in favour of the model and actress's participation in the national pageant.
Adetshina later withdrew from the competition while Home Affairs probed her identity at the behest of the Miss SA Organisation.
3. The disappearance of Joslin Smith
The disappearance of six-year-old Saldanah Bay child Joslin Smith continued to be a hot topic of debate for those invested in the bizarre case.
After Joslin went missing on 19 February, her mother, Kelly's boyfriend Jacquin Appolis, insisted on not knowing about what happened to the little girl.
Despite this, he said he felt responsible for her disappearance after she told him she would play with her friends. Appolis, who usually looked after her during the day while Kelly was at work, described feeling concerned when it became late and Joslin had not returned home.
4. ANC loses majority in general elections
A dramatic National and Provincial Elections came to a head when the African National Congress (ANC) lost its outright majority for the first time since the inaugural post-apartheid election in 1994.
In a devastating blow, the ANC secured only 159 seats in the National Assembly (NA) — a decrease from the 230 held in the sixth administration.
Conversely, the Democratic Alliance (DA) increased its seats from 84 to 87, while the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) saw a reduction from 44 to 39 seats.
The new kid on the block, the uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) Party, secured 58 seats.
The ANC retained reduced majorities in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Free State, North West, and Mpumalanga. It retained the largest opposition status in the Western Cape, while the DA retained the biggest opposition status in the NA.
5. Dog food stuffed into wors
A wave of food poisoning incidents battered South Africa this year amid a response from the government to address the outbreak.
While this happened, a shocking practice was thrust into the spotlight after online videos uncovered a meat business in Emfuleni, Khayelitsha, in Cape Town, allegedly stuffing dog food into its meat products.
This had the country talking, with social media abuzz with colourful observations from users and even harsher grading.
Widely circulated videos showed authorities assessing the facility during a raid in which the business's employees were made to lie face down on the ground as the authorities cracked down on the illicit operation.
6. TikTok psychic drops Joslin bombshell
It is safe to say Joslin Smith's disappearance caused quite a buzz, even catching the international community's attention.
A TikTok user in the US, identifying as a psychic, claimed to have spiritual insight into the circumstances surrounding the missing young girl.
In a video, the medium, @freakedoutII, shared supposed information about who took her and where they could've been taking Joslin.
The bombshell revelation also led to claims that Jacquin Appolis, Joslin's mother Kelly's boyfriend, was involved and not sharing information.
7. Nwabali sends SA AFCON 2023 message
An exhilarating 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-final campaign came to a climax when South Africa faced off against Nigeria.
At the end of the affair, the Super Eagles shot-stopper Stanley Nwabali piqued local fans' interest on social media after professing his love for SA.
Nwabali took to Instagram shortly after the Super Eagles defeated Bafana Bafana 4–2 on penalties in Côte d'Ivoire on Wednesday, 7 February.
The Chippa United goalie said no love was lost for him as Nigeria advanced to the final, where the Super Eagles ultimately lost 2–1 to the host nation, denying them a fourth AFCON title.
8. Footage of alcohol-stocked crash vehicle
A horrific crash in which eight youngsters were killed on the N2 Mandeni in northern KwaZulu-Natal in October sent alarm bells blaring.
Footage before the wreckage along the route between Bridges 17 and 19 showed a group of excited youth, including six high school pupils, in a jolly mood.
They bragged about their stash of alcohol — six-packs and boxes of Heineken and other alcohol brands — seemingly the cause of the fatal outcome.
According to reports, the driver of the seven-seater vehicle had veered into the oncoming lane, colliding with a truck and causing the car to overturn.
9. Sekhukhune player crashes head-on
Sekhukhune United player Shaune Mogaila's crash in Tembisa, Johannesburg, became a hot topic of debate for the alcohol and drugs found in his car.
The winger was arrested the same day after handing himself over to Rabie Ridge police following the death of a nine-year-old girl in the 30 October crash.
The Tembisa Magistrate's Court granted bail to Mogaila, who faces charges of culpable homicide, reckless and negligent driving, and fleeing from an accident.
Dashcam footage from another car driving along Andrew Mapheto Drive captured Mogaila's car careening down from the opposite lane and colliding head-on with the red hatchback.
10. Tshwane teacher scammed out of love
Romance scams are among the oldest tricks in the book, yet many women wooed out of their minds — or conversely, love-sick — still fall into their trap.
Such was the case for a Tshwane teacher whose affection for the man who preyed on her affection for him led the woman to lose her life savings.
Her lover, a Tanzanian man, convinced her to retire early from teaching and hand him her R2.4 million pension payout in 2023.
After Mark convinced her to meet his uncle, to which she agreed, an offer for food turned into a prayer session.
She heard an ancestor's voice, and the scheme unravelled when her supposed lover's uncle showed her a drawer, allegedly with R20 million inside.
Other 2024 stories in sharp focus
SA's spaza shop food poisoning crisis
Additionally, the headlines were confined to these top trends for the year as other, more recent stories grabbed them. This ensured that a wave of food poisoning incidents battering South Africa was right up there with the rest.
In October, the crisis was declared a national safety threat before beckoning the attention of the Public Protector's Office after the African Transformation Movement (ATM) wrote to the Chapter 11 institution.
Later, food safety officers and law enforcement were dispatched to conduct health checks at spazas, and President Cyril declared additional measures amid a widespread government crackdown following numerous children's deaths.
Zama zamas' standoff with government
Meanwhile, scores of illegal miners holed up at abandoned shafts at a disused Stilfontein gold mine in Klerksdorp in the North West sent a ripple across SA.
Initially reported as 4,500 illegal miners, Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, famously announced smoking them out from underground.
This began a protracted series of events encompassing everything from a standoff with police, interim court orders, requests from zama zamas for medication and food, including luxuries, and the retrieval of dead bodies.
In between, illegal miners have continued to surface as the Stilfontein mine saga continues into another thrilling chapter.
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Source: Briefly News
