10 of the top read Sunday Times stories of 2015

We look back at some of the most read Sunday Times articles online in 2015....

1) The Brutal Murder of Emmanuel Sithole

After being stalked down a street, taunted and hit with a wrench, Mozambique national Emmanuel Sithole was cornered by his attackers, stabbed in the heart and left to die on a rubbish-strewn Alexandra street on the morning of 17 April 2015. Sunday Times journalist Beauregard Tromp and photographer James Oatway rushed him to Edenvale Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Coverage of the incident, which included gut-wrenching photographs of the stabbing, polarised the country and turned a spotlight on the brutality of attacks against foreigners. Mhinto Bhengu‚ 22‚ Sifundo Mzimela‚ 21 were found guilty of murder and are due to be sentenced in January.

2) Cops caught on camera 'executing criminal'

Three Krugersdorp policemen were arrested after CCTV footage emerged that appears to show them executing a suspect. Officers Titus Mabela, Jason Segole and Puleng Sebetwa face a murder charge and one of defeating the ends of justice for their role in the October 19 killing of Mpanza, a suspected armed robber who had earlier fired shots at a police van.

3) Sex video shame led Gauteng pupil to kill herself

Humiliated in public, shunned by her friends and hounded by the media, the girl at the centre of the so-called Jules High sex video took her life when the trauma of the incident and the subsequent criminal case became too much to bear. The story of her shame and guilt formed part of a submission to parliament's portfolio committee on justice and correctional services to decriminalise consensual sexual acts between children aged 12 to 15. The Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children argue that it causes the children unnecessary trauma.

4) SA's xenophobia shame: 'burning man' case shut

Ernesto Alfabeto Nhamuave was beaten, stabbed and set alight in Ramaphosa informal settlement almost seven years ago. Yet nobody has been arrested for his gruesome murder and, thousands of kilometres away in Mozambique, his wife still awaits justice. Nhamuave, who was 35 years old, became known as the "burning man" and photographs of his agonising death brought the horror of South Africa's xenophobic violence to the world. Police closed the case on October 27 2010 after concluding that there were no witnesses and no suspects

SIPHIWE SIBEKO 

5) Behind Zuma's U-turn:'SA will go bust'

In a move that shocked the country, President Jacob Zuma fired Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene only to replace him with an obscure politician, David van Rooyen. Nene's removal sent the rand into a tailspin and precipitated unprecedented public condemnation of the president, with thousands taking to social media to demand that Zuma be recalled from office. In a u-turn three days later, Zuma shunted Van Rooyen aside and brought back former finance minister Pravin Gordhan.

6)  Murdered teacher Jayde’s husband ‘had secret love affair’

There were a number of high-profile murder cases that made the news this year; from Oscar Pistorius's culpable homicide conviction being overturned as he was found guilty of murder by the Supreme Court of Appeal; to the Stellenbosch axe killings that left three members of the Van Breda family dead. The most top read murder case covered by the Sunday Times this year was the shocking murder of schoolteacher Jayde Panayiotou. Her husband Christopher was arrested for allegedly orchestrating the hit, alongside three other men. In a shocking twist it turned out he was having an affair with Chanelle Coutts who managed the family's grocery store. The case is set to resume in January.

7) MaNtuli banned from Nkandla over Zuma 'poison plot'

President Jacob Zuma's estranged wife Nompumelelo Ntuli-Zuma was banned from his Nkandla home following sensational claims of a plot to poison the president. MaNtuli denied any involvement in the alleged plot, but revealed that her husband had confronted her about the allegations before she was kicked her out of the family's Nkandla homestead and ordered her to take her three children with her.

Thabo Jaiyesimi 

8) Malema: I know who gave cash to Zuma

In March, Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema claimed he had first-hand knowledge of the secret donors who bankrolled President Jacob Zuma using a series of murky trusts. He made this startling claim in an 83-page affidavit filed in the High Court in Pretoria in his ongoing battle with the taxman.

9) VIP bodyguards expose abusive ministers

Bodyguards charged with protecting some of South Africa's senior cabinet ministers were hopping mad at the bad behaviour they claimed they had to endure from the politicians they guard. A number of VIP protection unit members said they were sometimes ordered to drive at dangerously high speeds, risking the lives of others, while others claim they are constantly made to work excessively long hours.

10) Why Itumeleng Khune won't sign...

Itumeleng Khune's contract drama vied with Stuart Baxter's shock exit from Kaizer Chiefs as one of the top read sport stories of the year. Khune eventually resigned with the club, telling the Sunday Times he wanted to retire at Chiefs. Baxter went on to coach  Turkish club Genclerbirligi, only to be fired after losing his opening two matches. Chiefs new coach Steve Komphela took the club to both the MTN8 and Telkom Knockout finals early in his tenure‚ but finished on the losing side in both games.