Political shuffling, student protests, fires, and sporting highs and lows ensured 2015 was 12 months we’ll remember, writes Siyabonga Kalipa.
Cape Town - South Africans watched helplessly as the rand plummeted to record lows, while earlier in the year spirits soared as sprinter Wayde van Niekerk became the first South African to be crowned the 400m men’s world champion, and we welcomed a new member to the humankind family tree.
The most recent shuffling of finance ministers by President Jacob Zuma created a hubbub locally and overseas.
Zuma first replaced respected finance minister Nhlanhla Nene with little-known former parliamentary finance committee whip David van Rooyen.
It had adverse effects on the rand, with the currency free-falling to R15.90 to the dollar – a record low. The rand also lost 2.5 percent to the pound, trading at R22.50.
More was to come, as days after Van Rooyen’s appointment, Zuma seemed to buckle and he re-instated Nene’s predecessor, Pravin Gordhan, to head up Treasury, moving Van Rooyen to Gordhan’s portfolio of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
Upon his re-appointment as Finance Minister, Gordhan promised to tighten the purse-strings.
However, he said the door remained open for a nuclear build programme, estimated to cost the country up to R1 trillion.
This year the DA elected its first black leader when Mmusi Maimane pipped Wilmot James at the party’s elective conference in May.
During his victory speech, Maimane said the DA was “headed for the Union Buildings”. “We must and we will win power in our lifetime. We will be the next government of this beautiful country.”
Maimane took over the reins from party leader Helen Zille.
One can’t mention politics without mentioning the EFF, whose disruptive tactics were stepped up in Parliament as early as February.
Members of the EFF were escorted out of the National Assembly during Zuma’s State of the Nation address by parliamentary protection officers.
EFF members disrupted Zuma’s speech, chanting “pay back the money” in reference to the public protector’s findings that the president should pay back at least some of the non-security related upgrade costs of his Nkandla estate.
The eviction of the members was not broadcast and some journalists and MPs protested against apparent cellphone signal-jamming equipment deployed inside the House.
Students mobilised in a national effort characterised by peaceful protests against fee increases of up to 16 percent and the practice of outsourcing of some university functions, among others.
The students organised refreshments during their protests, cleaning up after themselves and even setting up study groups so disruptions to the academic year would not adversely affect their studies.
In Cape Town it came to a head with students from UCT, UWC, CPUT and Stellenbosch marching to the gates of Parliament, eventually making it into the parliamentary precinct where, unarmed, they were met by public order police who fired tear gas canisters and stun grenades.
The students managed to secure a zero percent fee increase for next year and a commitment by the institutions to address the other issues raised by the students, namely an end to outsourcing.
Xenophobic attacks also flared up again, first in Durban, then Joburg.
Foreign-owned shops in Soweto were looted. The situation wasn’t helped by comments attributed to King Goodwill Zwelithini that foreigners should go back to their own countries because they were changing the landscape of South African society.
The year will also be remembered for the massive fires that raged in the South Peninsula, destroying large swathes of vegetation in March. Parts of Silvermine nature reserve have only recently been re-opened to the public.
Helicopter pilot Willem Hendrick “Bees” Marais was killed battling the fires when his aircraft crashed.
Last month, two more people died in informal settlement fires, in Masiphumelele and Imizamo Yethu. A further nine died in shack fires during the Christmas weekend.
Thousands were left destitute when a fire tore through Masiphumelele last month, destroying much of the informal settlement. Capetonians were also asked to open their hearts and wallets to the residents who lost everything.
Oscar Pistorius had his conviction of culpable homicide overturned by the Supreme Court of Appeal, which convicted him of murder for the 2013 shooting of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. He will be sentenced next year.
There was much to celebrate as humankind unveiled one of its earliest relatives. Homo naledi was introduced to the world in September at the Cradle of Humankind. It is believed to be the first hominin to bury its dead.
The Springboks lost their Rugby World Cup opener against minnows Japan, and although they went on to reach the semi-finals, they were dumped out of the competition by New Zealand, ending their hopes of becoming the first nation to lift the Webb Ellis trophy for a third time.
On the track, Wayde van Niekerk set the world ablaze when he ran a 43.48 400m in the final of the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, beating international superstars and favourites for the title, defending champion LaShawn Merritt and Olympic champion Kirani James.
He became the first African to run a sub-44 second 400m, and the fourth-fastest man over the distance in history.
Cape Argus
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