Febe was rattled, stranded and spanner-less. Then came a chain of South African strangers!
North West, South Africa (05 October 2026) – A burst tyre on a busy national road is a huge stress, especially when you are travelling alone. It happened to Febe Potgieter recently. Instead of her day going wrong, though. It seemed to take every right turn. Because of kind South Africans!
When she lost a wheel on the highway, a whole chain of strangers, from police officers to farmworkers to a taxi driver, all decided her problem was worth their time.
Febe was driving home from Kimberley on the N12 when her tyre burst. In a Facebook post that has since struck a chord with over 11,000 South Africans, she described what happened next as ‘the incredible kindness of South Africans from all walks of life.’
The first to stop was a woman driving in the opposite direction, who pulled over to check that Febe was okay and ask if she could help. Shortly afterwards, six SAPS officers on their way to Bloemhof, also travelling the other way, made a U-turn to come and see what was going on.
The officers stayed for the next 40-odd minutes. They flagged down other motorists to find a wheel spanner, since Febe had misplaced hers and theirs didn’t fit, and then changed the tyre themselves.
“Firstly, a white lady driving in the opposite direction stopped to check if everything is ok and if she can help. Shortly thereafter, six SAPS officers on their way to Bloemhof – also the opposite direction – made a u-turn to come and check. The policemen and women stayed for the next 40-odd minutes, flagged down other motorists to get a wheel spanner…and then changed my tyre.” writes Febe.
Meanwhile, the woman who had stopped first returned with her husband and a farmworker, ready to help. The farmer then phoned ahead to tyre dealership in Wolmaransstad and asked them to stay open past their usual closing time so Febe could buy a spare tyre.
Then, an assistant and a taxi driver who happened to be buying spares helped her choose the correct wheel spanner.
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The comments section filled up with people who saw their own country in her story.
‘I love this post. It restores my faith in everyday S Africans,’ wrote Hilde Lotter. Loren Braithwaite Kabosha called it the reason South Africa is her ‘chosen home,’ and Donovan Williams wrote, ‘This is who we are. This is who I know we are.’
Others shared stories of their own. Aletta Stander wrote that her niece, her husband and their two small children were in an accident two days earlier. Their car was a write-off, but truck drivers stopped to help. One let the kids sit in his truck with the heater on and offered his jacket to the injured husband, while three farmers gave them money for food and drink, and another offered to drive them home or to hospital.
“The help and love was something they could not describe in words,” she wrote. “We are a great nation with magnificent people.”
Many commenters used the word we love. ‘Ubuntu.’
No one on the N12 that day was asked to help, and no one stood to gain anything. A woman in a passing car, six police officers, a farmer, a taxi driver and a handful of motorists just knew that help was needed, and they stepped in.
As one commenter put it, “Wow it took the entire village.”
Thank you to everyone who stopped, and to Febe for sharing a story that reminds us how much good is out there on our roads.
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