A prison break, murdered rapper, and world champs: Here’s what SA googled most this year

If you are wondering what piqued South Africans’ interest the most this year, who was the top trending individual over the last 12 months, or which movies, TV shows and sporting events were trending the most in the country, Google’s got it covered. 

With 2023 coming to an end, Thabo Bester, the Cricket World Cup, Barbie, AKA, Celine Dion and the Springboks led this year’s annual trends on Search. 

This year, the world’s biggest search engine celebrated 25 years of Search, a milestone which has provided nearly two decades of trends data to draw from. 

Google said the Year in Search provides an annual analysis that reveals the top trending lists and also spotlights what the world searches to see, learn and do. 

“In South Africa, this years’ results show a heightened interest in celebrities, sporting events, special observed days, notable  personalities who have passed on and technology.”

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Sport

Google’s data shows that cricket and rugby world cups soared to the top of the most searched sporting events by South Africans this year, while Springboks reigned supreme on the most searched athlete lists. 

The Rugby World Cup and Inter Miami also captured significant interest, claiming the second and third spots on the lists respectively.

Celebrities 

Among celebrities and media personalities who passed away this year, rapper, producer and businessman Kiernan Forbes, also known as AKA, topped the search list for loss. 

Another South African rapper, Costantinos Tsobanoglou, better known as Costa Titch, was the second- most searched individual in this category.

Movies 

After conquering the box office worldwide, Barbie, soared to the top of South Africa’s most searched movies and TV shows, followed by the epic biographical thriller film, Oppenheimer and the gripping series Shaka Ilembe. 

Thabo Bester and media personality and popular DJ, Cyan Boujee, were the top 2 most-searched individuals in the country, with both appearing in headlines several times in the past 12 months. 

While South Africans were eager to know the dates of upcoming events like Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and the Rugby World Cup final, their online searches also revealed a diverse range of interests, including literary comparisons and health concerns. 

“How is poetry different to other writing genres?” and “How are mumps spread?” are the top second and third top general questions that South Africans were searching for answers to. Interestingly, the most searched general question this year concerned Celine Dion’s well-being.

Top 10 trending holidays searched

• When is Father’s Day 2023?
• When is Mother’s Day in 2023?
• When is Eid 2023?
• When is the rugby world cup final?
• When is Easter 2023?
• When is Ramadan 2023?
• When are schools opening 2023?
• When is Diwali 2023?
• When is Father’s Day in 2023?
• When is Good Friday 2023?

Top 10 most searched general questions in 2023

• How is Celine Dion doing?
• How is poetry different to other writing genres?
• How is mumps spread?
• How is cholera transmitted?
• How is profit divided between owners/shareholders/investors?
• How is Derek Watts doing?
• How is heritage day celebrated in South Africa essay?
• How is Jamie Foxx doing?
• How is knowledge created?
• How is Ascension day celebrated?

Top 10 people searched in 2023

• Thabo Bester
• Cyan Boujee 
• Nadia Nakai
• Dr Nandipha Magudumana
• Andrew Tate
• Derick Hougaard
• Steve Harvey
• Sim Dope
• Anele Tembe
• Tyla

Top 10 movies and TV shows searched in 2023

• Barbie movie
• Oppenheimer
• Shaka Ilembe
• John Wick 4
• Fast X
• Queen Charlotte Bridgerton
• The last of us
• Creed 3
• Fatal Seduction
• Kaleidoscope

Top searched Loss in 2023

• AKA
• Costa Titch
• Matthew Perry
• Tina Turner
• Derek Watts
• Titanic submarine
• Zoleka Mandela
• Mangosuthu Buthelezi
• Christian Atsu
• Eusebius Mckaiser
• Olive Barker
• Angie Oeh

Top 10 most searched athletes in 2023

• Springboks
• Siya Kolisi
• Bongi Mbonambi
• Faf de Klerk
• Eben Etzebeth
• Cheslin Kolbe
• Ox Nche
• Hakimi
• Roger Federer
• Ronaldo

Top 10 sporting events searched in 2023

• Cricket world cup
• Rugby world cup
• Inter Miami
• Banyana banyana
• Kaizer Chiefs vs Mamelodi Sundowns
• Wimbledon 2023
• Liverpool vs man united
• Al nassr
• Netball world cup
• Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury

Top searches related to technology in 2023

• Dstv stream
• iphone 15
• Google’s 25th birthday
• Titanic submarine
• Samsung 23
• Samsung a14
• Whatsappgb
• Threads

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