In South Africa, the news never stops. Breaking stories and the horrifying headlines that accompany them happen every single day. 2022 has been no different to any other year. And violent crime has again dominated our headlines.

On this special episode of The Story, we talk to News24's political editor Qaanitah Hunter about some of the year's biggest stories. We also speak to lifestyle editor Herman Eloff about some of the lighter stories that captivated South Africans.

2022 has been a year of eye-opening revelations for all of us - and journalists have worked doggedly throughout the year to report on the stories behind the headlines. News24 has been at the forefront of many headline-grabbing investigations.

This week, South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that the decision to release former president Jacob Zuma on early medical parole had been unlawful. And in another court, the highest in the country, another ruling that has dominated the headlines was delivered. The Constitutional Court ruled that Janusz Walus, who gunned down SACP leader, Chris Hani almost thirty years ago, be released on parole.

It's not long until the end of the year, and many matric learners are counting down the days until they finish their final exams. But, those who wrote the Matric Maths paper 2 last week are anxious about their results after trying to solve the unsolvable question 5.

On Tuesday, finance minister Enoch Godongwana briefed journalists on the Preferential Procurement Regulations. The new regulations have come under fire from some quarters, but the minister has denied they are a setback for transformation.

Former Eskom acting chief executive Matshela Koko appeared in the Middleburg Magistrate's Court on Monday, along with seven other co-accused.

President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Sunday, announcing steps that the government will take to implement recommendations made by the Zondo Commission of inquiry. Describing corruption as a crime against the people of South Africa, Ramaphosa promised an overhaul of the country's anti-corruption architecture.

A man arrested in connection with the abduction, rape and murder of a four-year-old girl appeared in the Benoni Magistrate's Court this week. It's yet another horrific case of child murder that too often dominates the headlines in South Africa.

On Monday, News24 specialist legal journalist Karyn Maughan and state advocate Billy Downer appeared in the Pietermaritzburg High Court. It was the first day of former president Jacob Zuma's private prosecution of Maughan and Downer.

On Monday, a 67-year-old German tourist was shot dead in an attempted hijacking near the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga. He was travelling with his wife and two other German tourists. The fatal shooting has highlighted South Africa's high levels of violent crime, and there are concerns about the impact on the country's tourism industry.

Plettenberg Bay beaches in the Western Cape were reopened on Wednesday after several days of closure. They were closed on Sunday after a shark attack claimed the life of a 39-year-old Cape Town woman. It was the second fatal shark attack in only three months.

The South African energy crisis escalated this week as Eskom implemented Stage 6 load shedding in the early hours of Sunday morning. The state-owned power utility is struggling to meet electricity demand, and rolling blackouts were, once again, the order of the day.

Hundreds of residents in the small Free State town of Jagersfontein were displaced after the dam at a diamond mine burst and flooded the area on Sunday.

The murder trial of former Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa resumed in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria this week. Meyiwa was shot dead at the home of his girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo, in Vosloorus in 2014. Five men are currently on trial for his murder.

Former Transnet executives Brian Molefe and Anoj Singh and several co-accused face various charges involving millions of rand, including fraud, money laundering and corruption.

The two most prominent South African trade union federations, Cosatu and Saftu, called for a national shutdown on Wednesday in protest against rising living costs, particularly fuel price hikes. But many South Africans continued with business as usual, ignoring the unions' calls to stay home. This week, we unpack the strike action and ask if its impact was significant enough to make the government sit up and heed workers' grievances. We talked to Fin24 journalist Khulekani Magubane, who covered the shutdown, and Saftu secretary-general Zwelinzima Vavi.

News24 investigations have revealed explosive details of what may have led to the assassination of whistleblower Babita Deokaran. The senior Gauteng health department official was gunned down in August in front of her home in Winchester Hills, Johannesburg.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing mounting pressure as more details about the 2020 burglary at his Phala Phala farm have emerged. This week, News24 published an exclusive investigation about the alleged theft of millions in cash. It sheds more light on a scandal that could potentially threaten Ramaphosa's future as president.

More than 80 people appeared in the Krugersdorp Magistrate's Court this week in connection with a gang rape in Krugersdorp, but none of the accused has been directly linked to the rapes as yet. Instead, they are being charged with being in the country illegally. The case was postponed to 10 August, for an identity parade to be held.