Naas Botha

Naas Botha, one of the great South African rugby figures for almost 20 years, was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2005, 10 years after his last match. He was known for 3 781 points in a career of 277 first-class matches and was excellent at drop-goals. Naas scored 20 points in 1981 when South Africa beat New Zealand 24-12 in Wellington.

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The South African online space is maturing, regardless of what some may say. There have been claims that it is a bunch of white boys who only link to each other; there are also claims that the South African blogosphere is attracting new blood. This should make for many more interesting blogs in 2009, many of which would be written from cellphones. Sebastian Küpers analysed our community earlier in 2008 and he made many positive comments.

And Amatomu, the local blogging aggregator, could succeed in making us believe that South Africans are only “or mostly?“ interested in rugby: Keo and Rugby Dump are two of the most popular blogs on Amatomu.

But what is a blog? Wikipedia says that ‘A blog (a contraction of the term ‘Web log’) is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order.’

This list, like all such lists, is subjective and should be taken with a pinch of salt. We would also like to know whom you would nominate. Feel free to discuss your own list in the comments section.
So who are the 8 top South African bloggers?

• Tertia has been dominating the space for many years: she started blogging in 2004 when not that many of us even knew what a blog is. She started blogging about infertility but later started writing about blogging and even won the Best Personal Blog for 2008.

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South Africans are fast becoming leaders in their fields both locally and internationally. Here are some South Africans who have excelled to become recognised not only in their home country, but around the world as well. Please note that this is not a list of top South Africans who have made it big internationally, but just random individuals who deserve a mention.

1. Charlize Theron

Think about the most internationally successful person from South Africa, and Charlize Theron automatically springs to mind. This Academy Award winning actress, who rose to fame by playing supporting roles alongside some of the biggest names in Hollywood, now commands millions of dollars for a starring role in a motion picture. She is now one of the top earning actresses in Hollywood, placing her in the same category as American actresses like Cameron Diaz, Reece Witherspoon and Halle Berry.

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Mayer Amschel Rothschild

Mayer Rothschild is the founder of modern banking. He introduced diversification, rapid communication, confidentiality and high volume to banking. He sold antiques, wineries, rare coins, and imported manufactured materials after leaving to take over his father’s business. Rothschild created the first international banking network, which had branches in London, Paris, Vienna and Naples. This empire spread throughout the world and today comprises real estate, venture capital, investment banking, corporate banking, private banking and trust, and asset management.

Henry Ford

Henry Ford is perhaps one of the most well-known businesspeople, mostly for quipping “People can have the Model T in any colour - so long as it’s black”. Henry Ford created assembly lines that were used for mass production of inexpensive goods: the concept is known as Fordism. Besides being known for creating the Model T, he also registered 161 patents. He and stockholders formed the Henry Ford Company in 1901. Henry’s vision was that the average American family should have transport and he priced the models at $825 in 1908. Soon, almost every American family had their own car.

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South Africa is a place of freedom, equality, and diversity. In the past, many heroes have come to the fore in an effort to make South Africa the great place it is today. Whether it has been political heroism, medical, literature, anti war, AIDS activism, or entrepreneurship, these individuals are some of South Africa’s proudest accomplishments. Here we pay tribute to the men and women who risked not only their beliefs and their freedom, but also their lives to become one of South Africa’s heroes.

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