Top 10 stories and funny statements that made headlines in 2014

We know it can get very difficult to keep up with all the happenings in the news these days especially if you work full time, study or have kids and maybe all three. Therefore,  we’ve made a collection of the biggest stories of the year—not only are they fascinating, they’re likely to shape the rest of 2014.Youth Village looks back on some of the most memorable stories and dramatic statements that created a buzz in the year 2014. The top stories that had our audience talking. Ones that caught widespread attention (across South Africa and Globally), prompted online discussions and led to major policy changes. Some statements were explicitly stated while others literally served as humor.  So we figuratively travel back in time to remember these moments.

In no particular order the list goes like this ……

1. The Bring Back Our Girls Campaign- #BringBackOurGirls

This campaign was launched to demand the return of 276 Nigerian schoolgirls, kidnapped from their classroom on April 14 2014 by Islamic terror network Boko Hara who were heavily armed and stormed a school in northern Nigeria, set fire to it and kidnapped the girls. Other girls were able to escape, while the 276 who remained were reportedly being auctioned off to the militants for somewhere around $12 each (nine euros) and then forced to become their wives. Within a week, a social media campaign under motto “Bring back our girls” launched at a global stance and it gained momentum across the world. Its goal was to raise awareness and pressure the Nigerian government while encouraging other governments, including the United States, to intervene.The hashtag BringBackOurGirls  went viral over the course of several weeks.

2. The Oscar Pistorius case – The Barry Roux famous phrase “I put it to you”

We all remember Oscar Pistorius, who murdered his girlfriend Reeva Steekamp during the wee hours of the morning on Valentine ’s Day in 2013. This story was the most read story all across the globe. The event was tragic and caused upset to the world but to no surprise, people found humor around it. In spite of Oscar Pistorius’ drama tactics, his defense lawyer, Barry Roux was a show stopper and had a rather interesting phrase, “I put it to you” in between his arguments. With intentions to emphasize a point , Roux became an internet sensation and his trademark expression garnered the attention of meme-makers, who have had their fun with Barry’s “I put it to you” phrase mostly at the expense of Oscar Pistorius. Another popular meme posed a question, “What if I put it to you that my dog barks like a cat when it’s nervous,” which references Roux’s argument that the screams heard the night of Reeva Steenkamp’s death were not those of a woman, but rather those of a very distressed Pistorius. But if we were handing out an Oscar , we couldn’t go past  Barry Roux. He deserves it.

3. Cyril Ramaphosa and the Marikana Massacre- “Blood in his hands!”

The Marikana massacre was the single most lethal use of force by South African security forces against civilians which was a shooting incident that took place on the 16th August 2012.  The shootings where described as a massacre in the South African media and where compared to the Sharpeville massacre in 1960.  Controversy emerged after it was discovered that most of the victims were shot in the back and many victims were shot far from police lines. The Marikana miners’ strike or Lonmin strike was a wildcat strike at a mine owned by Lonmin in the Marikana area, close to Rustenburg, South Africa. The event garnered international attention following a series of violent incidents between the South African Police Service. On August 11 , 2014 during an inquiry into the police shooting of the 34 striking mine workers, Marikana protesters reacted to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa who was a non-executive director at Lonmin when negotiations to halt a violent wildcat strike at its Marikana platinum mine ended in police shooting the strikers dead on Aug. 16, 2012. Angry protesters repeatedly shouted: “Blood on his hands!” at  Cyril Ramaphosa. The protesters were reacting to Ramaphosa’s testimony on the tragedy that happened at Marikana.

4. Nkandla upgrades – Pay back the money Zuma!

Members of Parliament were given a chance to pose questions to the president during the National Assembly plenary and as expected Nkandla was the hot topic of the day. EFF leader Julius Malema question Jacob Zuma about the Nkandla saga demanding that Zuma pays back the he spent on Nkandla upgrades . “We are not leaving before getting an answer. When are you going to pay the money because the Public Protector recommended that the President must pay it back?”Zuma responded by saying that a response to all reports on the security upgrades were submitted to speaker last week.“I hope we are not going to make a debate on this issue because I have responded appropriately,” Zuma added.This infuriated EFF members who started shouting: “Pay back the money!” National Assembly Speaker , Baleka Mbete was then forced to suspended proceedings after security requested the MPs to vacate Parliament in order to deal with the stubborn members of EFF.All thanks to the EFF led by Julius Malema, the parliament has taken a different approach been very assertive .

5. A.K.A Vs Cassper Nyovest – The beef (Hip Hop)

What’s entertainment without some sprinkle of outbursts and drama Queens/ Kings? Twitter War ensued after Cassper Nyovest disses AKA on new song Phumakim. The twitter world was abuzz with Cassper Nyovest’s song called Phumakim’ which had some really interesting lyrics. The single  had   amassed 100 000 downloads in less that 4 hours. Phumakim’ takes shots at AKA but before we chop todays beef , let’s back track a bit….The beef  as the story goes had been in the works for a while. Some few months ago Cassper twitted that his hit track ‘Doc Shebeleza’ was the biggest song in the country.AKA took offense and indirectly responded by tweeting that  “No.1 on iTune, Not Zippyshare… know the difference.”Many thought that the rivalry between SA rappers AKA and Cassper Nyovest was just a PR stunt but the past weekend’s events have proved the opposite.Musician, Cassper Nyovest, Real name, Refiloe Phoolo has opened a case against one of AKA’s entourage members after a gun was pulled on him, Friday night.The incident allegedly took place on the 15th August 2014 at SABC 1’s Live Amp studios where both artists had been invited to perform.

6. Generations soapie– Cast fired and new generations

Sixteen Generations cast members were fired after  striking, according to a statement released by the soapie’s production company. MMSV Productions released a statement on Monday afternoon to say that the contracts of the actors taking place in the latest strike had been terminated. “MMSV Productions, following consultation with the SABC , have terminated the contracts of the striking actors on the SABC1 soap drama, Generations. The termination follows calls by both parties for the actors to return for recordings, following the start of their illegal strike,” the statement read. According to a statement released collectively by the actors last week, the group went on strike after their demands for longer contracts (among others) had not been met. The most pressing demand from the actors was the three year contracts. The actors feel that the intensity of their work schedule means they are not able to do other work to supplement their income. During these disputes , the soapie  ran out of episodes and went off screens. Last episode was on the 30th September. Now the nation is waiting is anticipating the “New Generations” .

7. The Ice Bucket Challenge – Raising awareness and buckets of cash for ALS

The challenge had a massive impact and it attracted many countries across the world including South Africa.We’ve seen this challenge doing the rounds on the web – and the basic rules are: Someone issues the challenge that you allow yourself to be doused with a bucket of ice and water, like American coaches who win big games. Then, the “challenges” has 24 hours to make a $100 donation to the ALS Association, or submit to the water torture. Or do both. And then you challenge someone else .  The Ice Bucket Challenge, sometimes called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, is an activity involving dumping a bucket of ice water on someone’s head to promote awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and encourage donations to research.  The campaign went viral on social media. Although others opted to donate their money from their Ice Bucket Challenge to their organizations.

8. Ebola fears – A disease causes paranoia worldwide

The statement ” Ebola is here”, that’s just enough to scare and keep the world looking over their shoulders out of paranoia.  Through immense consideration, some mediums have been genuine enough to keep individuals updated and educated about the disease. Whereas others are gaining from the widespread fear as most people are likely to get stressed from whatever causes panic. The news of the first case of Ebola to be diagnosed on U.S. soil is unsettling, no matter how many times health officials calmly implore us not to panic, followed by a reminder that the virus is unlikely to spread widely beyond the case of deaths we hear about. But Ebola anxiety, on the other hand, is so far proving to be a highly contagious thing. No one knows what will happen in the future regarding this disease so far and this is reason for concern. Otherwise, who wouldn’t be paranoid?

 9. Check reveals SABC chairwoman Ellen Tshabalala’s has no degree

Not long ago, the chairperson of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Ellen Tshabalala, lied to Parliament about her qualifications. This was reported by City Press. Tshabalala claimed to have a commerce degree and a postgraduate diploma on her CV, according to the report, and President Jacob Zuma appointed her as chair of the public broadcaster during October 2013. However, the response to a successful Promotion of Access to Information Act application sent to the University of South Africa (Unisa) revealed that Tshabalala has neither qualification. This report comes after the controversial appointment of Hlaudi Motsoeneng to the position of chief operations officer at the SABC after he lied about his qualifications.In a report published in February 2014, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela found that Motsoeneng’s appointment and salary progression were irregular.She also concluded that Motsoeneng irregularly and rapidly increased the salaries of various staff members, resulting in the state broadcaster footing a salary bill escalation of R29 million. Familiar with the phrase “Everyone has their own skeletons hidden in a closet”? As cliche’ as it sounds , we all know that this is true and sugarcoating the truth will not help in any way.

10. The death of soccer star Senzo Meyiwa

The death of Senzo Meyiwa at the young age of 27 years prompted a rallying cry against crime in the country. Meyiwa died at the home of his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo in Vosloorus after being shot by armed robbers who entered Khumalo’s home and demanded the couple’s possessions. The nation was incredibly shocked and the event revealed scandals and caused extreme drama. Senzo was known to be married to Mandisa Mkhize (Meyiwa) while dating the sensational songstress Kelly Khumalo. It was said that he (Senzo) with his wife were on the verge of divorce and Mandisa was at peace with the separation before Senzo’s tragedic death. However this continued to spark too much drama and it circulated across the media. Some twitter fans even took things personally with no approval towards Kelly Khumalo and shot piercing tweets full of curse.