A tough year for SA
Dec. 22nd, 2008 08:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mahnmutThe year 1994 was a historic year - South Africa held its first democratic elections and Nelson Mandela became the first black president. The ANC promised 'a better life for all' and people believed in a bright future.
The year 2008, was very different - South Africans lost hope. There were whispers of a 'Zimbabwe in the making' there were fears of a civil war and there was a sense of uncertainty never before experienced in the new South Africa. The country's young democracy faced its biggest challenge yet.
Let's take a look at some of the events that made headlines throughout the year.
January.
The year 2008 started with a bang - the National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi was charged with corruption and defeating the course of justice after his application to prevent the Scorpions from prosecuting him failed. The charges against Selebi relate to murder-accused Glenn Agliotti and payments by Agliotti of more than R1.2-million to Selebi in 2004 and 2005.
In the same month the country was shocked when 18-year-old Johan Nel went on a shooting spree in the Skierlik informal settlement near Swartruggens in the North West. He shot dead four people including a three month-old baby and eight others were wounded. The attack was racially motivated and sparked a heated debate on race around the country.
February.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu called South Africa the Rainbow Nation but it seems that 14 years into the democracy not everyone is ready for change. A racist video emerged out of the University of the Free State. It featured five black cleaners in the traditionally male Reitz hostel, who were being 'initiated' by white male students. The cleaners were made to take part in races, down beer, and drink a mixture in which the students had secretly urinated. The video made waves across the country and people were forced to face the reality that perhaps not everyone is ready for reintegration.
March.
Eskom introduced the new word "load-shedding" when the country started experiencing blackouts across the country. Eskom announced that the country should brace itself for a cold and dark winter as the company had to undergo maintenance. The daily power cuts disrupted people's lives and businesses.
April.
The country was faced with high food and electricity prices. The trade union Cosatu alongside South African Communist Party (SACP), organised protests throughout the country that saw thousands of people taking part. Unfortunately, because the high food prices were partly the result of a global food rising and escalating oil prices, their efforts did not make any difference and food prices continued to skyrocket.
May.
Many people would like to forget the horrific images that emerged out of the Alexandra township in Johannesburg (where I work) during the xenophobic attacks that gripped the country. Locals chased foreigners out of their homes because they believed that they were taking their jobs and houses. In a very short period the violence spread to other provinces - victims were burned alive, others were beaten up by angry mobs and their stores and houses were looted. 62 people were killed in the attacks and thousands were displaced.
June.
The ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema made headlines with a statement he made at a Free State rally when he vowed to kill for Zuma. He said: "We are prepared to take up arms and kill for Zuma." These words propelled Malema to prominence and the party had to do damage control. Many ANC members were alienated by Malema's remarks and opposition parties saw Malema's comments as ammunition that they could use against the ANC.
July.
South Africans had a reason to celebrate in July when former president Nelson Mandela marked his 90th birthday. The whole world joined in the celebrations. There were concerts for the elderly statesman and messages poured in from all over the globe.
August.
The South African team took part in the Beijing Olympics and their performance was dismal. Although South Africa put forward many athletes, only one - Khotso Mokoena - managed to win a silver medal. The poor performances were in part blamed on poor management.
September.
Zuma's path to the presidency was made easier when Judge Chris Nicholson delivered his ruling in favour of Zuma. Nicholson dismissed the corruption charges against Zuma on the grounds that there had been political interference in the case.
Following the Zuma judgment the country's young democracy was tested, when president Thabo Mbeki was recalled by the ANC. Mbeki obeyed his party and he stepped down. The whole country was shocked by the decision and people were left uncertain about the future. ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe was sworn in as the caretaker president until the 2009 elections.
October.
The former minister of defence Mosioua Lekota did the unthinkable - he "served divorce papers" on the ANC. Unhappy with the removal of president Thabo Mbeki, he decided to form a breakaway party. A target of angry ANC members, he was labelled a 'dying horse', but this did not stop him as he went across the country to garner support for the new party. Some prominent members of the ruling party resigned and joined the breakaway party.
November.
Despite efforts by opposition parties and businessman Hugh Glenister - who took the battle to court - the ANC finally passed the bill in Parliament to disband the elite crime-fighting unit, the Scorpions. They had reached this decision at the ANC National Conference in Polokwane in December 2007.
SA was shocked and saddened when Miriam Makeba, also known as Mama Africa, died. She was performing in Italy when she suffered a heart attack. The world mourned with South Africa as she was known worldwide for her music.
December.
Congress of the People (Cope) the new political party under 'Terror' Lekota, held its inaugural conference in Bloemfontein. The formation of a new political party to challenge the ANC has sparked excitement around the country. As of yet, no breakaway party has proved to be a real threat to the ANC and Cope is under a lot of pressure to deliver on its promises. The 2009 elections will be the first real indicator of its popularity.
Without a doubt 2008 was a tough year - a lot has happened and lessons have been learnt. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that South Africa is far from becoming its ailing neighbour, Zimbabwe. Clearly the country is much stronger than we imagined and the year 2008 will go down in the history books as a year of power-grabbing and uncertainty.
The year 2008, was very different - South Africans lost hope. There were whispers of a 'Zimbabwe in the making' there were fears of a civil war and there was a sense of uncertainty never before experienced in the new South Africa. The country's young democracy faced its biggest challenge yet.
Let's take a look at some of the events that made headlines throughout the year.
January.
The year 2008 started with a bang - the National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi was charged with corruption and defeating the course of justice after his application to prevent the Scorpions from prosecuting him failed. The charges against Selebi relate to murder-accused Glenn Agliotti and payments by Agliotti of more than R1.2-million to Selebi in 2004 and 2005.
In the same month the country was shocked when 18-year-old Johan Nel went on a shooting spree in the Skierlik informal settlement near Swartruggens in the North West. He shot dead four people including a three month-old baby and eight others were wounded. The attack was racially motivated and sparked a heated debate on race around the country.
February.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu called South Africa the Rainbow Nation but it seems that 14 years into the democracy not everyone is ready for change. A racist video emerged out of the University of the Free State. It featured five black cleaners in the traditionally male Reitz hostel, who were being 'initiated' by white male students. The cleaners were made to take part in races, down beer, and drink a mixture in which the students had secretly urinated. The video made waves across the country and people were forced to face the reality that perhaps not everyone is ready for reintegration.
March.
Eskom introduced the new word "load-shedding" when the country started experiencing blackouts across the country. Eskom announced that the country should brace itself for a cold and dark winter as the company had to undergo maintenance. The daily power cuts disrupted people's lives and businesses.
April.
The country was faced with high food and electricity prices. The trade union Cosatu alongside South African Communist Party (SACP), organised protests throughout the country that saw thousands of people taking part. Unfortunately, because the high food prices were partly the result of a global food rising and escalating oil prices, their efforts did not make any difference and food prices continued to skyrocket.
May.
Many people would like to forget the horrific images that emerged out of the Alexandra township in Johannesburg (where I work) during the xenophobic attacks that gripped the country. Locals chased foreigners out of their homes because they believed that they were taking their jobs and houses. In a very short period the violence spread to other provinces - victims were burned alive, others were beaten up by angry mobs and their stores and houses were looted. 62 people were killed in the attacks and thousands were displaced.
June.
The ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema made headlines with a statement he made at a Free State rally when he vowed to kill for Zuma. He said: "We are prepared to take up arms and kill for Zuma." These words propelled Malema to prominence and the party had to do damage control. Many ANC members were alienated by Malema's remarks and opposition parties saw Malema's comments as ammunition that they could use against the ANC.
July.
South Africans had a reason to celebrate in July when former president Nelson Mandela marked his 90th birthday. The whole world joined in the celebrations. There were concerts for the elderly statesman and messages poured in from all over the globe.
August.
The South African team took part in the Beijing Olympics and their performance was dismal. Although South Africa put forward many athletes, only one - Khotso Mokoena - managed to win a silver medal. The poor performances were in part blamed on poor management.
September.
Zuma's path to the presidency was made easier when Judge Chris Nicholson delivered his ruling in favour of Zuma. Nicholson dismissed the corruption charges against Zuma on the grounds that there had been political interference in the case.
Following the Zuma judgment the country's young democracy was tested, when president Thabo Mbeki was recalled by the ANC. Mbeki obeyed his party and he stepped down. The whole country was shocked by the decision and people were left uncertain about the future. ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe was sworn in as the caretaker president until the 2009 elections.
October.
The former minister of defence Mosioua Lekota did the unthinkable - he "served divorce papers" on the ANC. Unhappy with the removal of president Thabo Mbeki, he decided to form a breakaway party. A target of angry ANC members, he was labelled a 'dying horse', but this did not stop him as he went across the country to garner support for the new party. Some prominent members of the ruling party resigned and joined the breakaway party.
November.
Despite efforts by opposition parties and businessman Hugh Glenister - who took the battle to court - the ANC finally passed the bill in Parliament to disband the elite crime-fighting unit, the Scorpions. They had reached this decision at the ANC National Conference in Polokwane in December 2007.
SA was shocked and saddened when Miriam Makeba, also known as Mama Africa, died. She was performing in Italy when she suffered a heart attack. The world mourned with South Africa as she was known worldwide for her music.
December.
Congress of the People (Cope) the new political party under 'Terror' Lekota, held its inaugural conference in Bloemfontein. The formation of a new political party to challenge the ANC has sparked excitement around the country. As of yet, no breakaway party has proved to be a real threat to the ANC and Cope is under a lot of pressure to deliver on its promises. The 2009 elections will be the first real indicator of its popularity.
Without a doubt 2008 was a tough year - a lot has happened and lessons have been learnt. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that South Africa is far from becoming its ailing neighbour, Zimbabwe. Clearly the country is much stronger than we imagined and the year 2008 will go down in the history books as a year of power-grabbing and uncertainty.
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(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-13 12:28 pm (UTC)I didn't get lots of info before about the Xenophobic attacks, it seems that it was more shocking than I expected,
lots of corruption cases, high prices for food and oil, electricity breakdown and of course the continuous Zimbabwe crisis
they say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, it seems that SA is in transition zone in its history hope these troubles gets solved especially concerning the ANC, it seems an aging political party with dozens of problems.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-13 06:39 pm (UTC)