From Trevor Noah to Sho Madjozi: Six times South Africans shone on global stages in 2019

Bonang Matheba, Sho Madjozi, Trevor Noah, Zozibini Tunzi and the Springboks put SA on the map when they cemented themselves as award-winning local and global individuals. 

Here are six times these South Africans made us proud:

Bonang Matheba

Media personality Bonang Matheba started 2019 on a high note when she bagged an international award in the Inspiration and Influence category at the Global Social Awards in Prague, Czech Republic. Matheba was one of 40 global stars who were up for awards.

Sho Madjozi

Tsonga rapper Sho Madjozi's hit song, John Cena, became a global favourite, with more than eight million views on YouTube. It saw her grace the stage of The Kelly Clarkson Show, during which she met Cena, her childhood hero.

Her song, which initially debuted on the Colors show, transcended borders and saw the WWE star called for interviews about the song. 

Trevor Noah 

American-based SA comedian Trevor Noah has achieved a lot since he became the host of The Daily Show.  In 2019, he was nominated for a Grammy award; filled Madison Square Garden in New York, becoming the first African to do so; was listed as the fourth richest comedian, and received two Emmy nominations for The Daily Show, among other things.

Gert Johan Coetzee 

SA designer Gert Johan Coetzee dressed American media mogul Oprah Winfrey in a gold kaftan for the wedding of Glori Nelson, a graduate of SA' Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. The designer had dressed Mama O for the Global Citizens concert in 2018. He told TimesLIVE he had made a “couple of options for her” and was grateful she wore one of them for her “daughter's” wedding.

Zozibini Tunzi 

Eastern Cape-born beauty queen Zozibini Tunzi became the country's first black Miss SA to win Miss Universe. Zozi was crowned on Sunday in Atlanta, US, at Tyler Perry Studios. During the pageant, Zozibini said she sought to break beauty stereotypes and represent black women and girls on a global stage.

“I grew up in a world where a woman who looks like me, with my kind of skin and my kind of hair, was never considered to be beautiful. And I think that it's time that that stops today. I want children to look at me and see my face, and I want them to see their faces reflected in mine.”

The Springboks' Rugby World Cup win 

After being in Japan for two months, SA's national team emerged victorious to bring home the third Webb Ellis trophy. The Springboks beat England 32-12, with the team's captain, Siyabonga Kolisi, becoming the first black captain to win the Rugby World Cup.