Publisher

As South Africa emerges from a year of difficulty and uncertainty we can declare with confidence that our country is still a land of untapped opportunities.

This year we experienced ups and downs but we can smile knowing that we have triumphed in certain areas. There is hope.

At the beginning of this year, we launched an ambitious investment drive to raise $100 billion in new investment over the next five years.

Whilst South Africa has the largest HIV epidemic in the world, with about 19 percent of the global number of people living with HIV, 15 percent of new infections and 11 percent of Aids-related deaths, it also has the largest treatment programme in the world, accounting for 20 percent of people on antiretroviral therapy globally.

The country also has one of the largest domestically funded programmes, with about 80 percent of the Aids response funded by the government. Below is a timeline of significant developments in South Africa’s fight against HIV/Aids over the years.

Unemployed, without a roof over their heads, and often separated from their families, homeless people are amongst the most disadvantaged members of society.

While many homeless shelters offer only a temporary solution, a new pilot project in Cape Town is showing that homeless people can be turned into productive members of society.

The stark reality of there not being enough jobs in South Africa for all citizens means that people need to start their own initiatives to survive.

A lack of job opportunities and stark poverty, coupled with an abundance of land suitable for farming, led to the establishment in 2006 of the Ixhiba co-operative by six women in the Imbali township near Pietermaritzburg.

Firefighters are everyday heroes who often risk their lives while carrying out their duties. In September, three firefighters tragically died while battling a blaze at the Bank of Lisbon building in the Johannesburg City Centre.

The tragedy inspired two bright young students from Mpumalanga to invent a rescue robot that has the potential to make the work of firefighters that much safer.

Grade 9 learner Trevor Simelane and Grade 10 learner Joseph Mdluli are from the Mandlesive Secondary School in the township of Kanyamazane.

Vuyokazi Wewe scooped the title of best Early Childhood Development (ECD) Practitioner in the Eastern Cape.

Wewe (31) received this award from the National Development Agency (NDA) in a ceremony held in Komani (formerly known as Queenstown).

The police  must assist in any way they can to lessen the trauma for rape survivors.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) is committed to ensuring secondary victimisation does not take place when a rape survivor arrives at a police station to tell their story.

Human trafficking can be described as a modern form of slavery that is on the rise worldwide.

Human trafficking is the recruitment, control, and use of people for their bodies and for their labour.