It’s that time of the year again, where we explore our top 5 trending online articles for 2019.
The Sandton Chronicle team has worked throughout the year to bring you breaking news first, tell those sweet stories, challenge the hard topics and celebrate top achievements.
The Sandton Chronicle made Caxton Digital history when one of our stories had more than 1 million page views.
What will 2020 will bring and what articles are you hoping to see?
Top 5:
Number 1: WATCH: Man kicks Arnold Schwarzenegger in the back during Arnold Classic Africa in Sandton
More than 1 million readers from across South Africa and the world read the article written by Sandton Chronicle journalist Laura Pisanello.
A video had surfaced of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was in Sandton for the Arnold Classic Africa, being kicked in the back at the Sandton Convention Centre.
Schwarzenegger later tweeted to thank his fans for their concern and to assure them that he was all right.
His tweet read: “Thanks for your concerns, but there is nothing to worry about. I thought I was just jostled by the crowd, which happens a lot. I only realised I was kicked when I saw the video like all of you. I’m just glad the idiot didn’t interrupt my Snapchat.”
Number 2: Cricket coach passed away after a lightning strike
It was an incredibly difficult and devastating story to cover for the Chronicle team when a cricket coach passed away after he was struck by lightning at Crawford Preparatory Sandton campus.
“One of our sports coaches, Clinton Flynn, was struck by lightning on 31 January at around 5.50pm and passed away at around 11pm that evening,” read a statement from the school.
The cricket community mourns the loss of a valued coach and our thoughts are still with the school, family and friends
Number 3: Attempted hijacking gone wrong
Johannesburg Flying Squad members were busy with crime prevention patrols on 13 October when they saw suspects attempting to hijack a white VW Polo on the corner of Grayston Drive and Linden Street in Sandton.
Number 4: WATCH: #SandtonShutdown protesters hand over a memorandum to JSE CEO
Following the brutal rape and murder of a University of Cape Town student, Uyinene Mrwetyana (19), who was murdered by a 42-year-old post office worker, a coalition of 70 civil society activist groups including Rise Up Against Gender-Based Violence and Sonke Gender Justice, under the hashtag #SandtonShutdown, gathered in Sandton from as early as 3am on 13 September.
Number 5: IN PICS: Community supports displaced people after Bryanston house burns down in Wilton Avenue
The Sandton community really cares about one another.
A fire tore through a house on Wilton Avenue in Bryanston after multiple gas bottles exploded.
On 21 June, emergency services arrived at the house where about 100 people were residing. The community arrived to support the families who had lost everything.
Many residents of the house were reduced to tears as they watched their home burn to the ground.
City of Johannesburg MMC for Public Safety Michael Sun attended the scene where firefighters worked hard to extinguish the fire.
Community members from Bryanston gathered their resources to make sure the families had blankets, food and supplies.
