This was a tumultuous year for South Africa as the country faced off against load shedding, a shaky currency, a drought and a string of protests from the man on the street right up to parliament members.

In case you were under a rock this year, here are the top 5 stories that made headlines:

The M1 bridge collapse in Sandton:

The scaffolding of a pedestrian bridge which was under construction over the M1 highway in Sandton, Johannesburg collapsed killing 2 and injuring more than 20 people. The accident saw Murray & Roberts share price plummet in response.

Eskom suspends four board members

Four senior Eskom executives, including chief executive Tshediso Matona, were asked to step aside as the power utility embarked on a fact-finding inquiry. This subsequently led to the utility being downgraded to junk by the Standard & Poor’s rating agency.

Township school toilets worse than prison:

The conditions of toilets in township High schools in Gauteng are worse than prisons, according to a social audit conducted by Equal Education (EE).

#Feesmustfall protests swept across the country

University students around the country rose up to protest against the annual increase of university fees as well as an inefficient funding system.

Prasa’s new locos too tall for SA railways

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa was thrust into the spotlight following reports that it imported brand new locomotives from Europe worth hundreds of millions of rand despite explicit warnings that the trains were not suited for local rail lines.