From SAA scares to delayed social grants and load-shedding to looting, it was quite a tumultuous year for SA and its citizens
31 December 2021 - 07:00
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Looters run for cover after looting at Bara Mall, Soweto. Picture: ANTONIO MUCHAVE/SOWETAN
The world was always going to stage a fightback against Covid-19 in 2021.
Since the first vaccines were given the green light a year ago, life beyond lockdowns and face masks appeared to be a reality in the near future.
At home, there were more than a few defining moments in our fight against the virus. But looking back — through power outages and an insurrection — 2021 may not be remembered for a return to a semblance of normal.
These were BD’s most-read stories of the past year.
1. After a day of high drama at Nkandla, the police would prepare to implement the order of the Constitutional Court to arrest the former head of state.
2. President Cyril Ramaphosa won the “unequivocal” backing of the rest of the ANC top six for secretary-general Ace Magashule to “immediately” step aside pending the outcome of his fraud and corruption case.
3. Just less than 6-million poor people who rely on the R350 Covid-19 social relief grant for their survival would not get their March payment until the end of April.
4. Two weeks after his imprisonment, former President Jacob Zuma approached the Constitutional Court to rescind its decision that saw him jailed at Estcourt prison.
5. In July, business and community leaders were calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a state of emergency and deploy the army to restore law and order after violence erupted in KwaZulu-Natal.
6. The SAA flight that collected the country’s second batch of Covid-19 vaccines from Brussels in February experienced an “extraordinarily dangerous” event on take-off.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Most-read stories of 2021
From SAA scares to delayed social grants and load-shedding to looting, it was quite a tumultuous year for SA and its citizens
The world was always going to stage a fightback against Covid-19 in 2021.
Since the first vaccines were given the green light a year ago, life beyond lockdowns and face masks appeared to be a reality in the near future.
At home, there were more than a few defining moments in our fight against the virus. But looking back — through power outages and an insurrection — 2021 may not be remembered for a return to a semblance of normal.
These were BD’s most-read stories of the past year.
1. After a day of high drama at Nkandla, the police would prepare to implement the order of the Constitutional Court to arrest the former head of state.
2. President Cyril Ramaphosa won the “unequivocal” backing of the rest of the ANC top six for secretary-general Ace Magashule to “immediately” step aside pending the outcome of his fraud and corruption case.
3. Just less than 6-million poor people who rely on the R350 Covid-19 social relief grant for their survival would not get their March payment until the end of April.
4. Two weeks after his imprisonment, former President Jacob Zuma approached the Constitutional Court to rescind its decision that saw him jailed at Estcourt prison.
5. In July, business and community leaders were calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a state of emergency and deploy the army to restore law and order after violence erupted in KwaZulu-Natal.
6. The SAA flight that collected the country’s second batch of Covid-19 vaccines from Brussels in February experienced an “extraordinarily dangerous” event on take-off.
7. SA has seen a sharp decline in the number of taxpayers earning R750,000 a year or more in the past two financial years.
8. In a decision aimed at sending a signal against corruption, President Cyril Ramaphosa decided to permanently remove health minister Zweli Mkhize.
9. The unrest in July — described by President Cyril Ramaphosa as an attempted insurrection — dealt a severe blow to investor confidence.
10. Eskom CEO André de Ruyter found himself fending off allegations months before South Africans voted in between bouts of load-shedding.
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Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.