Highlights of The Past Year

2023 - It’s a Wrap!

By Raine St. Claire

In spite of their well-documented challenges in 2023, South Africans are celebrated for persevering and triumphing over obstacles, displaying resilience amid adversity.

As the year draws to a close, let’s crank up the celebration for so many green and gold sports medalists who made us proud. Our hearts continue to beat for Siya Kolisi and his Ama Bokke Bokke’s World Cup victory, and for Desiree Ellis, the powerhouse of South Africa’s female soccer team and her phenomenal Banyana Banyanas. Let’s also give a shout-out to so many other fantastic winners and good news stories that flew under the radar well worth celebrating.

Business

• FNB achieved a historic milestone, securing the title of the “Strongest Banking Brand” globally—an unprecedented feat for an African bank.

• South African startup Lexie Hearing earns a well-deserved spot on the prestigious TIME100 Most Influential Companies list.

• South African Chartered Accountants (CAs) lead the way in global trustworthiness, earning the top spot in the Global Trust Survey by Edelman on behalf of Chartered Accountants Worldwide (CAW).

Education

• Nonkululeko Gobodo, South Africa’s first black female to qualify as a chartered accountant became Chancellor of Walter Sisulu University.

• Prof Rabia Johnson, Senior Researcher at the South African Medical Research Council and Senior Lecturer at Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University celebrated for academic excellence.

• The University of Johannesburg (UJ) emerges as the world’s leading university in the fight against poverty, recognised for its impact on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG).

• isiXhosa and Afrikaans make it to the ‘Coolest to Learn’ list, a remarkable achievement given the vast number of living languages globally. On the subject of Afrikaans making waves, 16 year old, Stefan Benz, originally from Pretoria, not only secured a Golden Ticket on American Idol but also taught judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan how to speak Afrikaans—an extraordinary first in the show’s 22-year history!

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Inspirational Michaela (Chaeli) Mycroft, a 28-year-old cerebral palsy activist, challenges misconceptions about mobility limitations on global platforms. Not only a dancer and ‘runner,’ she’s the first female quadriplegic to summit Mount Kilimanjaro and the recipient of the prestigious 2023 FORBES Young Achievers Award.

Entertainment

• A South African series is nominated for Best Series at CANNESERIES. Nadia Darries and Daniel Clarke made the Stunning Star. The proudly South African duo became part of Star Wars history with Aau’s Song, the final short film in the second volume of the Star Wars: Visions anthology, now streaming on Disney+

• Pretty Yende wowed at the King’s Coronation Performance. It seems that the world loves Pretty as much as we do! After stealing the show at King Charles III’s coronation a few weeks back, Pretty became the talk of the palace. Now, the South African songbird is soaring to even greater global heights, having received the Global Badge of Honour as a Goodwill Ambassador for the World Health Organisation.

• Nomcebo Zikode, Wouter Kellerman, and Zakes Bantwini won the 2023 Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance for their collaboration “Bayethe.”

• Lloyiso lights up Times Square: New York Lloyiso, a singer, songwriter, and former Idols contestant renowned for his exceptional vocals, now radiates a light that shines even brighter than before.

• South Africa’s Micaela Kleinsmith who started songwriting at just 14-years old using music as her peace from bullying was crowned Global Singing Champ winner of Reese Whiterspoon’s new singing competition show, My Kind of Country that set out on a musical mission. One that would find hidden and unconventional gems, with the kind of country music talent that would blow anyone’s cowboy hat right off.

Golden Buzzers For South African Talent

• SA Cancer Survivor shines! Musa Motha has been the talk of the global stage since his performance at the 2023 Britain’s Got Talent auditions. Beyond the incredible fact that he is a resilient cancer survivor who outperformed his adversities with a single leg, His dance was so beautiful, crowds were torn between tears and cheers and all the judges gave Musa a ‘group golden buzzer’.

• The Mzansi Youth Choir brought Simon Cowell to tears on America’s Got Talent. The performance was so heartfelt that it left the judges and audience in awe of their incredible performance, so much so that for the first time in AGT history, the golden buzzer was awarded by the audience – skyrocketing the group to the semi-finals. Although they did not win, they were invited to perform a traditional song and the Coldplay signature song, Fix You, with Coldplay at two soldout concerts in San Diego and Los Angeles.

Lifestyle: Major Cheers!

• Hylton James Espey joins the prestigious Michelin Star family, becoming the fifth South African Chef to receive this coveted award.

• Boschendal is named the most beautiful vineyard globally, adding to South Africa’s winemaking reputation.

• Cape Town was voted the greatest city in the world once again.

• South African-based Whisky shop WhiskyBrothers has won an international award at the Icons of Whisky awards which is basically the Oscars of Whisky.

• De Rust, South Africa with 97 points set De Rustica Olive Estate a point above some of the world’s greatest olive oil producers to win the International Best Olive Award, a World First!

• Van Ryn’s 15-year-old potstill brandy was crowned the World’s Best Wine Brandy at the 2023 World Brandy Awards.

• Desiderius Pongrácz (2015) earned Grand Gold at the 2023 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in Belgium, the only South African-made sparkling wine to win this year.

OH SNAP!

Lee-Ann Olwage earned her spot as one the world’s best creative photographer at the 2023 World Photography Awards. Her work also depicts an incredible message that visualised what an empowered world for girls might look like.

And that’s a wrap for 2023! As we venture into the unknown journey of 2024, let us take a moment to honour and celebrate the countless individuals who strive every day to make a positive difference in the breathtaking country we proudly call home, South Africa. Cheers to a year filled with triumphs!

Source: BBC| goodthingsguy | newssa | gisreports