Every week, thousands of good things unfold across South Africa. While we publish more than 100 good news stories, our weekly newsletter handpicks just 15. Here’s a sneak peek at this week’s inspiring collection.
South Africa (26 July 2026) – The Odyssey was released in cinemas around the world recently, and it’s every bit as spectacular as everyone hoped it would be. I finally got to see it. It’s visually breathtaking, emotionally rich and packed with lessons that still matter thousands of years after the story was first told. I believe everyone will walk away with something different, but for me, one message stood above the rest: treat people the way you want to be treated. It sounds simple. It always has. But imagine what South Africa, and the world, would look like if we all lived by that every single day.
We get to tell many, many stories of people doing just that. And more!
For the past 11 years, every Friday without fail, we’ve sent our Good Things Guy newsletter to more than 100,000 subscribers. We handpick 15 stories from the more than 110 we publish every single week. It’s South Africa’s longest-running “lekker” newsie, from South Africa’s top good news site! But if you’re not already subscribed, then this weekly wrap-up is your little sneak peek into what many people found in their inboxes yesterday.
One of this week’s top-read stories introduced us all to Isaac Imed, a therapy assistant at Cape Town’s Animal Health & Hydro, who has spent more than a decade helping injured animals recover and heal. This month, after suffering a devastating stroke, it was Isaac who suddenly found himself needing help.
His colleagues launched a crowdfunding campaign hoping to ease the burden of medical expenses while he focuses on recovery, describing him as someone “all of the animals and their human companions adore.” South Africans did what they so often do. They showed up. In just four days, almost 100 supporters pushed the fundraiser well beyond its R50,000 target, raising over R70,000 and proving that when one of our own needs a hand, compassion travels fast.
Many people know Darryn Frost as the South African who helped stop a terrorist during the 2019 London Bridge attack, confronting the attacker with a narwhal tusk in a moment of extraordinary bravery. That act earned him the Queen’s Gallantry Medal, one of the final awards personally approved by Queen Elizabeth II.
But it turns out that was only one chapter of his story.
Today, Darryn is helping men leaving prison rebuild their lives through Own Merit, a supported housing initiative he co-founded with Steve Gallant, another unlikely hero from that same day in London. Inspired by his own journey from being labelled a “problem child” to finding purpose through mentorship and opportunity, Darryn now spends his days offering others the chance to write a different ending for their own stories.
As he puts it, “The medal recognised five minutes of instinct, but Own Merit is the work I’m most proud of”.
Cape Town's Pink Lady Ranks in 50 Best Hotels for 2026!
The Gentle Hands Healing Abandoned Newborns at New Somerset HospitalYou can get that full story here.
Love stories come in many forms, but this one may have captured South Africa better than any rom-com ever could. At a restaurant in Jeffreys Bay, Denton got down on one knee and asked the woman he loves two very important questions. The first was whether she would marry him. The second?
“Will you join my medical aid?”
The proposal had South Africans laughing and nodding in agreement. Anyone who understands the cost of medical aid knows this wasn’t just about paperwork. It was about building a future together, one GP visit at a time.
This week’s SPAR Hero of the Week belongs to an entire team of extraordinary people who came together to save a tiny pangolin named Percival.
After being rescued during a sting operation, Percival needed urgent medical attention and a race against time began. A conservation officer gave up his day off, a veterinarian embraced an unexpected challenge, wildlife specialists worked through the night and airline partners helped fly the little pangolin from the Western Cape to Johannesburg for specialist care.
“They simply asked, ‘What can I do to help?'”
It’s hard to imagine a better reflection of the spirit of Mandela Day than strangers from different professions dropping everything to save one vulnerable little animal.
Our Kids’ Storybook this week tells the true heartwarming story of John the elephant, who developed quite the reputation for breaking pipes and opening water tanks across Addo Elephant National Park.
Many thought he was simply causing trouble. One man looked a little deeper.
John Adendorff realised the elephant wasn’t being destructive at all. He was searching for clean, fresh water. Once moved to an area where crystal-clear streams flowed naturally, the giant stopped causing damage completely. Years later, just days before John retired after nearly three decades at the park, the elephant appeared outside his home as if to say one final goodbye.
All the feels!
Our weekly OnePlan Pawsitive Story featured Mr Boqwana and his beloved ginger cat, who arrived at the Animal Welfare Society’s hospital inside… a Woolworths shopping bag.
Without a pet carrier, Mr Boqwana made a plan. His determination meant his cat could be sterilised, helping improve animal welfare while teaching all of us that caring for animals doesn’t always require fancy equipment. It just needs you to show up!
The internet loved it, with one commenter writing, “Thank you for being a great cat dad”.
You can read the full article here.
And that’s this week’s wrap-up!
Every week we sit down to choose just 15 stories from everything we’ve published, and every week I’m reminded how impossible that task really is. There are simply too many good people doing remarkable things across South Africa, treating people, and animals, and things, the way “they” want to be treated.
And that makes me really happy.
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