Turbulent new year awaits

There will be sighs of relief as Old Man Time, circa 2024, shuffles into new year oblivion.

- William Saunderson-Meyer

It's been a year of the incredible, the inconceivable. What so many leaders and establishment analysts patronisingly assured us couldn't, shouldn't, and wouldn't happen in fact could, would and did.

There are three standout events that most affect the way the South African story will unfold in 2025. In May, the ANC's electoral support collapsed after 30 years. A month later, over 90 humiliating minutes, President Joe Biden's debate against Donald Trump unravelled years of lies about Biden's mental acuity. Finally, in the past fortnight, a Syrian regime that had lasted 50 years collapsed in just days.

What a reality check it has been for President Cyril Ramaphosa. At the beginning of 2024, everything seemed to be going swimmingly, both locally and abroad.