More Google searches for Cheryl Zondi than Bafana Bafana

An unwitting voice for the voiceless‚ an A-lister fighting for her mental well-being‚ the face of the apartheid regime and the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) 2019 qualifiers were among the most-searched terms on Google this week.

Hot on the heels of World Mental Health Awareness Day‚ it emerged that American singer‚ actress and producer Selena Gomez had been admitted to a mental health treatment facility after succumbing to a breakdown.

South Africans who searched for the star generated more than 5‚000 “#SelenaGomez” search queries on Google‚ a tie with those who searched for “France vs Iceland” on Thursday.

While the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank did not pull as many global viewers as that of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‚ it solicited a lot of internet interest in this country.

The daughter of Britain’s Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson had South Africans googling “#PrincessEugenieWedding” more than 50‚000 times on Friday‚ a tie with “#PikBotha”‚ whose name generated the same number of searches following his death.

At the weekend‚ football took the top spot for two consecutive days‚ with South Africans searching "#BafanaBafana" more than 50‚000 times on Saturday‚ when the team won 6-0 against Seychelles in their Afcon qualifier at the Stade Linite.

"#MacufeCup" generated more than 10‚000 search queries on Sunday.

But it was Cheryl Zondi who set Google alight.

The testimony of Zondi‚ the first witness in the trial of rape- and human trafficking-accused pastor Timothy Omotoso‚ who continued her appearance at the Port Elizabeth High Court on Monday‚ led South Africans to laud her as the voice of countless South African women who fall victim to sexual violence every day.

“#CherylZondi” garnered more than 100‚000 Google search queries that day.

Bafana Bafana made it into the top search spot again on Tuesday‚ but for all the wrong reasons.

This time the national team was unable to get any goals past Seychelles‚ resulting in a 0-0 draw at the Afcon qualifier.

“Bafana Bafana” garnered 50‚000 searches.

On Wednesday‚ amid waning chances of the national football team qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations‚ South Africans generated more than 10‚000 search queries for “Afcon 2019 qualifiers”.

Bafana Bafana’s next match‚ against Nigeria’s Super Eagles‚ will take place on November 16.