About 30 000 people read the story, which makes it the most-read article since the Mail and Guardian Online launched its new site in June.

The cartoon touched a nerve in South Africa. Predictably, the ANC, South African Communist Party and the ANC Youth League screamed blue murder, accusing the Sunday Times -- the paper in which it first appeared -- of abuse of press freedom. They also said it "borders on defamation".

The waters, for some, were further muddied as Zuma was in the past had up on rape charges, of which he was acquitted. Zapiro said this was "unfortunate" for Zuma in that "he comes with his history [of the rape trial]. But that's a secondary thing".

This week Zuma demanded R7-million in damages from Zapiro, the Sunday Times and its holding company over the cartoon.

It was, in many respects, a year that broke the mould. Barack Obama was voted in as president of the United States (and must now deal with a savage global financial crisis), George Bush was pelted with shoes, and a split developed in the ANC, leading, after a few false starts, to a new political party, the Congress of the People, which followed in the wake of former president Thabo Mbeki's recall.

The world was hungry for news about the new party, which is why more than 14 000 people read the Inside the Shikota movement article.

Cope gathered its supporters in Bloemfontein on December 13 for a conference at which it was decided that Mosiuoa Lekota would indeed lead the party into the elections in 2009. He sang Suikerbossie to the delegates, exhorting them to adopt a non-racial approach. Of course, until very recently, Lekota, and co-founder Mbhazima Shilowa, were part of the ANC, so a degree of healthy scepticism is called for when considering the policies of the new party.

It does, however, appear that Cope really is trying to do things differently. Journalists at the event said they were treated as though they were part of the conference. They were provided with meals and there were regular press briefings, in contrast to the ANC's conference in Polokwane in December 2007, at which journalists complained of a confrontational attitude by ruling party members.

This was a, to put it mildly, tumultuous year for the ANC. After the steady hand of Mbeki, things seemed to start unravelling at a rapid rate.

In October, Mbeki wrote ANC leader Jacob Zuma a letter, in which he said: "In my president's report [at Polokwane] I warned of the grave challenges our movement was facing. I suggested that the conference should discuss these. This was not done. Ten months after this report was presented, I still stand by what it said."

In Zimbabwe, things, if it can be believed, got even worse in 2008.

Almost 17 000 people read the article in November on how Zimbabwe's gold mining sector was on the brink of "total collapse".

This has since been overtaken by the cholera outbreak, which has killed about a 1 000 people. World leaders (though not South Africa) have called for Mugabe to go, but with each passing year he seems to tighten his grip on the country. Talk, of course, is cheap, but short of an invasion (which has never been a serious option) there appears to nothing that can be done to unseat him. He is a fit 84-year-old and can probably lead for another 10 years, God forbid, but the challenge for the South African Development Community is to persuade him to leave, and then help to rebuild the shattered economy.

2009 is going to be a crucial year on the South African political scene. The country will go to the polls in March or perhaps April, which will necessitate a round of horse trading. What will a Jacob Zuma presidency look like? Can Cope chisel away at the ANC's majority, or will it edge into the Democratic Alliance's territory?

Hold tight.

With acknowledgements to Mail and Guardian.