Painful, weird and appalling events happened all over the world in 2017 and South Africa had a fair share of these events. Sadly, these South African incidents shocked the world more than they could bear.
While the year has been increasingly described as a year of a major clampdown on terror activities across the globe, it has also gone down the history lane as a year many believed the world would end; not because of the rather preposterous September 23 Nibiru end of the world theory but because of the trading of threats between the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump and the man he calls Rocket Man, Kim Jong-un, the Supreme Leader of North Korea.
Many expected the world to have its third war. It was speculated that it will be a nuclear apocalypse and people started naming destinations to survive World War III. Well, the war never happened but the Rohingya crisis was beyond disturbing. There were several reports of appalling barbarity committed against the Rohingya people. While some of them were burnt to death inside their homes, there was an indiscriminate shooting of civilians fleeing the violence perpetrated by the military in the north of Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Women and girls were excessively raped while adults and children are being recklessly murdered.
As though that wasn’t shocking enough for the world, slave trade was uncovered in Libya. Apparently, migrants were being sold into slavery and their masters carried out heinous abuses against them. It was a despicable crime against humanity.
While there are other 2017 happenings that made the world cry, here are the South African incidents that shocked the world in 2017.
2017 South African Incidents That Shocked The World
1. Cannibalism Was Exposed In The Country
Sometime in August 2017, it emerged that some South Africans have been feeding on other citizens of the country. This story spread across the world like a wildfire and humans all over the world wondered what other atrocity is yet to be exposed in the country, there was no way to water down the outrageousness of a woman being raped killed and eaten.
After one of the cannibals walked into a police station, produced human body parts saying he was tired of eating human flesh, the South African Police Service launched an operation which got over 300 South Africans testifying that they are eaters of humans.
2. The Brutal Raping And Killing Of Girls And Women
Among other South African women and girls who were brutally raped, maimed and killed, the events surrounding the death of Karabo Mokoena left nations of the world believing South Africa has a lot of citizens who are grossly sick in the head.
As it happened, Mokoena went missing and was found burned beyond recognition. Her boyfriend did the evil deed and dumped her in a veld in Lyndhurst, Johannesburg.
While there was also a case of a 14-year-old girl, Luyanda Mhlongo who was gang-raped, severally stabbed and strangled to death in KwaZulu-Natal, it was also reported sometime in February that a 95-year-old woman was raped and strangled in her home in Eastern Cape.
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3. The Killing Of White Farmers
Well, the killing of white farmers in South Africa has always been a global concern. In 2017 however, it was more common. At one time, a civil rights organization, AfriFroum had to launch a civil motion of no confidence against the country’s Minister of Police over the issue. At another point, there was a Black Monday Campaign agitation to stop the killings; the world wasn’t happy about this.
4. State Capture And Massive Looting Of State Coffers
2017 was a year that exposed the excessive looting, syphoning and milking of state coffers in South Africa. The fingerprints of looters were identified in almost all of the government’s parastatals. And, it was shocking to the world that the leader of a nation virtually partnered with “foreigners” to plunder the wealth of the nation. State Capture in South Africa was a big deal to South Africans and citizens of nations across the world.
5. Recession And The Downgrading Of SA’s Economy To Junk Status
The world was looking up to South Africa to lead Africa and fast-track the development of other nations in the continent. But shockingly, looting, corruption and the internal government divisions it triggered got the country downgraded to junk status.
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In addition to that, the country’s GDP which contracted in the fourth quarter of 2016, further decreased in the first quarter of 2017 landing the country into recession. It was big news for the world.
These horrfying South African incidents shocked the world and South Africans. We hope that in the coming years, such will not repeat itself again.