Today is the last day of August 2021 and I think it’s safe to say that the 8th month of 2021 has had it’s ups and downs. Today I’m pointing out a few of them.
Here’s a summary of what happened in August 2021
Notable International Events in August 2021
1. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 200 million globally in August 2021
Since the pandemic started, more than 39 million cases have been recorded in the United States, more than 32 million cases have been recorded in India and more than 20 million cases have been recorded in Brazil. More than 2.7 million cases have been recorded in my home country (South Africa).
2. The United States withdrew its troops from Afghanistan in this month
The last troops left Afghanistan on the 30th of August 2021. The Taliban is back in power in the country, for the first time since 2001. US President Joe Biden has been criticized for the abrupt troop withdrawal by people who were involved in the 20 year post-9/11 military campaign.
3. General Elections were held in Zambia on the 12th of August 2021
During election day, several Twitter users went to the platform to report that social media and messaging apps, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp appeared to be shut down in the country. Internet users made use of VPN services to bypass the restrictions. Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development was elected president, defeating incumbent Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front.
4. The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics ended on the 8th of August 2021 in Japan
More than 11,000 athletes from 205 countries competed in this delayed edition of the Olympic Games. The USA was the country that won the most medals at the games (113). South Africa only managed to win 3 medals at Tokyo 2020: 1 gold medal and 1 silver medal for swimming and 1 silver medal for surfing.
Notable South African Events in August 2021
1. It was uncovered that Eskom paid R80,000 for knee guards worth less than R300
This irregular expenditure was uncovered by Eskom chief executive André de Ruyter. It was discovered that three suppliers had been paid R3 million for knee guards, one of which had failed to deliver a single pair. Another admitted to having charged Eskom R934,000 for knee pads worth R4,000.
The knee guards are worn by workers when they clean the insides of pipes and chimneys at power stations and can be purchased for less than R300. Close to R1.2 million was paid back to the power utility since the beginning of August 2021.
2. It was announced that Disney+ is coming to South Africa in 2022
No official launch date was announced yet, but the streaming giant has announced that it will be making its way to South Africa sometime between June and August 2022. It was also announced that Disney+ will include the Star content hub (which features TV shows and movies aimed at adult audiences). The main Disney+ content hub features family-oriented and franchise-based content.
The Star content hub features content from FX, Freeform, Hulu, ABC Signature, 20th Television, 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, and Hollywood Pictures. All of them are Disney subsidiaries.
3. So far 18 people have been arrested in connection with July 2021 SA riots
The arrest of a purported ‘social media influencer’ at the weekend was the latest to be made, following the reported arrests of an Ukhozi FM radio DJ, a Fees Must Fall activist, and other known political figures. Most of the arrests are unreported, and the identities of the suspects are unknown. Read more about this on Daily Maverick.
4. The Kruger National Park was named the 10th most popular selfie spot in the world
Enjoy Travel, an international car website, asked their team to analyze social media to find the 25 Most Popular Selfie Spots in the World. The team compiled data from both Instagram and TikTok to come up with the locations that had the most selfies.
According to the list, more than 96 million Kruger Park selfies have been posted on social media. The most popular selfie spot in the world is Disneyland in Paris – whopping 6.1 billions have been posted for this popular tourist spot.
Notable Deaths in August 2021
The drummer of the Rolling Stones, Charlie Watts passed away on the 24th of August 2021. He was 80 years old. He joined the band in January 1963.
American actor Ed Asner passed away on the 29th of August 2021. He was 91 years old. He will be remembered for voicing one of the main characters in the 2009 Pixar animation film Up! Asner won 7 Emmy Awards during his career (which spanned 61 years).
Notable Music Releases in August 2021
On the South African front, Pretoria rockers All This For Nothing, Spoegwolf, Afrikaans song-meister Zaan Sonnekus, Afrikaans rockers Straatligkinders, Cape Town rockers Future Radio, Johannesburg rockers Oooth and legendary rockers Springbok Nude Girls all released new music.
On the international front, Ty Segall. Kanye West, OneRepublic, Jinjer, Gorillaz, Switchfoot, Lorde, Jake Bugg, Angus & Julia Stone and Jungle released new music.
Most Popular Streaming TV Series & Movies in South Africa in August 2021
According to Just Watch, The Good Doctor was the most popular series on Netflix, The White Lotus was the most popular series on Showmax and Nine Perfect Strangers was the most popular series on Amazon Prime in South Africa.
Tenet was the most popular movie on Showmax, Bohemian Rhapsody was the most popular movie on Netflix and The Tomorrow War was the most popular movie on Amazon Prime in August 2021 in South Africa.
Well, there you have it, a summary of what happened in August 2021. If I missed anything, please feel free to remind me in the comments section below.
Watch this space for updates in the Facts category on Running Wolf’s Rant.
