Public Sector Leaders | December 2023

2023 - IT’S A WRAP!

BY RAINE ST.CLAIRE

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2023 - It’s a wrap!

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n 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.

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

ICON 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.

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

ENTERTAINMENT • A South African series is nominated for Best Series at CANNESERIES Nadia Darries and Daniel Clarke made the Stunning Star

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

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.

And 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!

32 | Public Sector Leaders | December 2023/ January 2024