Thabo Bester, Cabinet reshuffle and economy among top searches on Google

With 2023 edging towards the halfway mark, and South Africa hogging international headlines for a number of reasons in March, South Africans turned to Google to satisfy their curiosity.

The month of March brought with it President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet reshuffle, protests, a Hollywood-style prison break by Thabo Bester and the deaths of two high profile musicians.

Google has released its search data, which showed exactly what kept South Africans curious in March.

AI

Earlier this year, Google announced that “artificial intelligence” was the most ‘googled’ term ever, and that the interest was not subsiding, with the top searched question in March relating to AI.

International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day, celebrated on 8 March, was the second-most searched term in the same month. South Africans also searched for more information on Human Rights Day, celebrated on 21 March, and Saint Patrick’s Day.

Economy

As more South Africans feel the pinch of the global economic downturn, they also looked to Google for answers to some serious questions, including “what is inflation?” and “what is the most direct way to alleviate poverty in South Africa?”

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Thabo Bester

Thabo Bester, also known as the Facebook rapist, featured in both the top trending questions and terms list.

South Africans have been gripped by revelations that he faked his own death to escape from prison and is currently on the run.

Cabinet reshuffle

When President Cyril Ramaphosa announced his new Cabinet earlier last month, South Africans turned to Google to find out who the newly appointed Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa was.

Musicians

South Africans also mourned the deaths of beloved musicians, rapper Costa Titch, who died on 11 March after collapsing on stage, and Jazz great, Gloria Bosman who died on 14 March after a short illness. Both feature in the top 10 trending search terms for the month.

Sports

Only one sports search made it to this month’s search trends – West Indies vs South Africa.

The tour ran throughout the month of March, featuring tests, One Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20 matches.

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