How many of the year’s events can you recall? Try our quiz of 101 questions (link to answers at the end).
1. Whom did President Thabo Mbeki appoint as the new Auditor General, replacing Shauket Fakie as of December 1 2006?
2. Which former Afrikaner leader made headlines recently after washing the feet of the Reverend Frank Chikane?
3. Who is the CEO of the JSE?
4. Who won the 2006 Nobel Literature Prize?
5. Which country does the person in question 4 come from?
6. Which Gauteng provincial minister hosted a R96 000 dinner at Auberge Michel, one of the province’s most expensive restaurants, to celebrate his budget speech?
7. Nine African countries held presidential elections this year. Name three.
8. Which popular local newspaper columnist had a rose named after her this year?
9. Which South African poet won the Noma Award for publishing in Africa?
10. Which director received a lifetime achievement award at this year’s Oscars, and died later in the year?
11. Name the report that brought home the global economic implications of climate change.
12. Which exam will be written for the last time in 2007? Bonus point: Name the exam that will replace it.
13. What was the name of the outside candidate who nearly ousted trade union federation Cosatu president Willie Madisha at the federation’s ninth national congress?
14. Which African is the first person to appear before the International Criminal Court?
15. How many cows were suggested as a fine for ANC chief whip Mbulelo Goniwe to pay if he were found guilty by a traditional authority of sexual harassment?
16. Which 29-year-old South African singer died in a car crash in September?
17. Where was Annanias Mathe, the C-Max prison escapee, captured?
18. What was the name of the judge in the Jacob Zuma rape trial?
19. How many judges declined to preside over the Zuma rape case? Name one.
20. Which (D)Urban Zulu diva was diagnosed with breast cancer this year?
21. From which African country is the former archbishop who was excommunicated by the Catholic Church this year for ordaining four married priests?
22. Why did the Sudanese government expel Jan Pronk, the UN’s special representative to Sudan?
23. Which free video-sharing website did Google buy out for $1,6-billion in 2006?Â
24. Six actors have played James Bond in 21 ‘official†films, including last month’s Casino Royale, in the past 44 years. Who are they?
25. The exclusion of which academic from seeking employment at which university drew the attention of Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein and Zackie Achmat, among others?
26. Which Top Gear presenter was almost killed in a car crash recently?
27. Which former Filipino first lady has launched her own shoe line?
28. What radioactive substance is believed to have killed Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko?
29. Which building was recently voted South Africa’s best building in the second annual VISI South African Institute of Architects national survey?
30. Which former Chilean dictator died in December?
31. Which country won the 2006 Soccer World Cup?
32. Who did the soccer team in 31 play in the finals?
33. On which date was Jacob Zuma acquitted of rape charges?
34. The remains of which colonial-era explorer were exhumed and reburied in the African capital that he founded and that still bears his name?
35. In the three-month-long security guard strike early this year, which two unions went on strike after 14 unions signed an agreement with employers on April 1?
36. Kofi Annan is the outgoing United Nations secretary general. How long had he been part of the UN system?
37. Who is the latest South African to mediate ongoing peace talks between the Burundian government and the Palipehutu-FNL?
38. Name South Africa’s newest listed World Heritage Site.
39. Which Russian journalist, a prominent critic of the Vladimir Putin administration, was murdered in Moscow in October?
40. Which South African pop group was this year awarded the MTV award for best African group?
41. Which French football player is now infamous for headbutting an opponent during the 2006 World Cup?
42. Who is the president of Iraq?
43. Name the South African consortium currently constructing the Gautrain.
44. Which supercar that rockets from 0-100kph in 2,5 seconds was launched this year?
45. Which tertiary institutions are abbreviated CPUT, TUT and WSU?
46. Who is the new United Nations secretary general (from January 1 2007) and what was his previous designation?
47. Who won best actor award in the soap opera category at the South African Film and Television Awards this year?
48. Who designed the Samora Machel Memorial in Mbuzini, Mpumalanga?
49. What is the joint venture company that controls all diamond mining in Botswana called?
50. Who was appointed British high commissioner to South Africa this year?
51. Who is the chairperson of the Friends of Jacob Zuma Trust?
52. Which celestial body was downgraded from ‘planet†status? What is its new status?
53. Which Italian soccer team was stripped of its title and sent to the second division this year?
54. What was the total increase in the repo rate by the monetary policy committee during 2006?
55. Which South African town was Pakistani national Khalid Rashid arrested in before being deported?
56. Who is the longest-serving African president?
57. Which multinational company was forced to renegotiate the terms of a lucrative mineral deal after it was criticised for taking advantage of the post-war transition government in Liberia?
58. Who won the PAC presidential election in September this year and whom did the winner replace?
59. Which movie won the best picture Oscar in 2006?
60. How many Catchment Management Agencies are there in South Africa — and how many should there be?
61. Who has recently been elected the new chairperson of the ANC in the Eastern Cape?
62. Who is the new Speaker in the US House of Representatives?
63. Where did Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes (aka TomKat) hold their lavish wedding ceremony?
64. Who was appointed official government spokesperson this year as a replacement for former spokesperson Joel Netshitenzhe?
65. Which track events is South African female track athlete Geraldine Pillay famous for?
66. Who is the new National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nafcoc) president?
67. Which African country became the first to legalise gay and lesbian marriages?
68. Who won the 2006 Man Booker Prize for Fiction?
69. Who is the prime minister of Iraq?
70. Which former CIA director replaces Donald Rumsfeld as the United States defence secretary?
71. Which famous pop star adopted a 13-month baby boy from Malawi amid a storm of criticism?
72. Who is the first woman president of Chile?
73. Which uses more energy: an electric blanket or a room heater?
74. How much water does the average golf course soak up in a day?
75. Which politician is alleged, according to a Mercedes-Benz dealership, to have purchased a R1-million S-Class, but won’t confirm or deny the story?
76. What was the pseudonym used for the complainant in the Jacob Zuma rape trail?
77. Which manufacturer released a hydrogen-powered vehicle this year?
78. Which (former) vice-chancellor likened himself to Christ?
79. Who won the CAF Champions League this year?
80. Which Nobel Laureate from the African continent died this year?
81. Which Southern African country changed its flag this year?
82. Abahlali baseMjondolo refers to whom?
83. Who was appointed vice-chancellor of Rhodes University this year?
84. The Formula 1 title for this year went to … ?
85. Severe governance problems at which university led Education Minister Naledi Pandor to appoint an administrator there? Bonus point: name the administrator.
86. Education department figures this year suggested how many undergraduates drop out before completing their studies — 15%, 30% or 50%?
87. Vusi Pikoli is the National Director of Public Prosecutions. Who is his deputy?
88. Which male pop star has decided he’s ‘bringing sexy backâ€?
89. Which national cricket player refused to sing the national anthem for ‘good and valid personal reasons†before international matches?
90. Name the two top NPA officials who are on special leave pending a disciplinary process related to alleged mismanagement and tender irregularities.
91. Which international mobile phone company made its entry into South Africa this year?
92. Who is the famous head of the company in 91?
93. The first black man to climb Mount Everest is set to make history again by climbing the highest peak on every continent. Who is he?
94. Tenille Swartz is the South African female squash player of the year. How old is she?
95. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had a baby girl together this year. Name the child.
96. Who won Survivor South Africa?
97. Who did she go up against in the final?
98. What is the name of Johnny Clegg’s computer recycling company?
99. In which Johannesburg suburb did a light aircraft crash into a building in December?
100. Who is the infamous ‘Landlord†being investigated by the Scorpions?
101. What is now the biggest cash crop in the US?
Click here to see the answers.