Tough year still gave us something to smile about and even celebrate
It is undeniable that South African-born American television show host Trevor Noah has had a great year.
He made history by becoming the first South African to host The Daily Show on Comedy Central.
The comedian, known for his outrageous accents, took over from Jon Stewart, who won 22 Emmy Awards during his 16-year tenure as the show’s host.
Noah made his first appearance on the show in 2014 as an on-air contributor, sharing his perspectives as a coloured South African.
He was quoted in the media saying that it was “a very different world going from South African comedy to the US, but at the end of the day comedy is comedy.
“It is a jump, but it’s a jump you have to get used to if you are a comedian.”
Go and slay them in the aisles, Trevor! South Africa is proud of you and all our other successful exports. The city of Durban has had a good run this year, and one of the major highlights was being chosen in September as the host city for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
While it is true that no other countries put their names forward as potential host cities, the successful bid should mean significant job creation.
Revenue during the event is also expected to help boost KZN’s coffers.
At the media event held to announce our success, munici- pal manager Sibusiso Sithole said the city had “hit the jackpot once more”.
“This decision comes with serious responsibilities and expectations. Such games require careful planning and tight budget controls to make sure that we avoid optimism bias, and cost overruns,” he said.
Here is hoping that 2022 lifts us up again to the euphoric heights experienced during the 2010 World Cup when, for a brief time, South Africans were united in optimism and excitement. One of the biggest student revolts since the 1976 Soweto Youth Uprising was the #FeesMustFall campaign that saw tertiary institutions around the country forced to shut down for a week.
Their attempts got the atten- tion of the Department of Higher Education and the government when President Jacob Zuma announced that there would be no fee increase in 2016.
The portfolio committee on higher education and training reported that they and the National Treasury will contribute R1.935 billion to the R2.330bn required to keep these institutions running, without increasing fees next year.
Universities would provide R394.7 million to make up the deficit. eThekwini Municipality obtained a clean audit for good governance and service delivery – its first in 16 years.
Its two municipal entities, uShaka Marine World and the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, also received a clean audit.
The auditor general found that the city’s financial statements were free of material misstatements, there was no material non-compliance with legislation and the city’s report was presented in a useful and reliable manner.
The audit showed that the municipality was in a healthy fiscal position.
Deputy Mayor Nomvuzo Shabalala and Sithole, said this was a historic achievement for the city.