Every Friday, more than 100,000 readers receive our Good Things Guy newsletter, packed with the week’s most inspiring stories. This Saturday Wrap-Up offers a taste of what made the cut… and why these stories deserve your time.
South Africa (18 July 2026) – There is something beautifully South African about Mandela Day. For one day, millions of us stop what we are doing, roll up our sleeves, think about others and ask a very simple question: What can I do to help?
Observed every year on the 18th of July, Nelson Mandela Day honours Madiba’s birthday and the 67 years he devoted to public service. The idea is that each of us gives 67 minutes of our time to make a difference but it also reminds us of something incredibly important. Changing our communities is not only the responsibility of governments, charities, businesses or people with enormous resources. It belongs to all of us.
And I love that.
After 11 years of being the Good Things Guy, I have learned that good things rarely begin with grand gestures. More often than not, they start with one person noticing something, caring enough to do something about it, taking that first step and inspiring others to do the same. There are many South Africans doing exactly that today, and yes, if you’re reading this on Mandela Day, I hope you’ve found your own way to make a difference too.
But I’ve been thinking about those 67 minutes a little differently this year. What if they weren’t reserved for just one day? I know… you’ve probably heard that idea before. But what if we actually lived it?
I’m not talking about spending more money, starting a foundation or taking on another big commitment. I’m talking about the little things. Greeting your neighbour properly instead of walking past. Stopping for a conversation in the driveway. Checking in on someone who hasn’t seemed themselves lately. Phoning a friend.
Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of telling thousands of South African stories. If there’s one thing those stories have taught me, it’s that every single one of us is carrying something. Hard things. Complicated things. Things we don’t want to talk about. Battles that often remain hidden behind front doors and polite smiles. You can live three houses away from someone and have absolutely no idea what they’re going through.
That’s why kindness matters.
It costs nothing, but it can change someone’s entire day. It asks us to care just a little more deeply and to remember that community isn’t simply where we live; it’s how we choose to live alongside one another.
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And then tomorrow, greet your neighbour. Choose kindness over being “right”. Keep showing up for one another long after Mandela Day has passed.
“Kindness. What a simple way to tell another struggling soul that there is love to be found in the world.”
That same spirit has carried our newsletter for the past 11 years. Every Friday, we send it out to more than 100,000 subscribers, sharing 15 stories from a week that usually includes well over 100 published articles. It isn’t possible to fit everything into one email but it is enough to remind us that there is far more good happening around us than many people realise.
And this Saturday Wrap-Up is your sneak peek into that newsletter.
One of this week’s most moving stories (and one of our most read articles) belongs to Dylon Jordaan, whose life changed because of something that cost just R15.
After spending 12 years homeless and battling heroin addiction, a Mi-change voucher introduced him to a support system that offered far more than a meal. It offered opportunity and a path towards recovery.
“I thought I would get just another meal. Instead, it became the turning point of my life. When I arrived at the centre, I received food and clothing, but I also experienced something I had not felt in a long time: dignity.”
Today, Dylon works for Mi-change, helping administer the very voucher programme that gave him his second chance. It’s a beautiful story, you can read the full article here.
Then there’s Aiden Scott, who proves that you’re never too young to make an extraordinary impact.
Aiden was only 10 years old when he overheard his mom talking about a rural Eastern Cape community that struggles with food insecurity and limited access to resources.
“I remember hearing my mom talk about the challenges the community was facing and how many people didn’t have access to things that we often take for granted. It really stayed with me, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it afterwards,” Aiden recalls. “It made me realise how fortunate I am and how difficult life can be for other people. I didn’t have a lot of money or resources, but I thought that if everyone did a little bit to help, it could make a big difference, and that’s when I started thinking about ideas to help.”
Those thoughts blossomed into Growth Project SA, an initiative through which Aiden began raising money to build a sustainable food garden for the Khula Community Clinic, an NPO that serves the very community his mom had spoken about.
Representation also takes centre stage in the story of Dr Emile Gouws. As an autism advocate and researcher, he has spent years working to reshape how society understands neurodivergence. But it was a meeting with a young autistic learner from Soweto, who chose Emile as his hero for a school speech competition, that reminded him why his work matters so deeply.
“He [the young boy] asked thoughtful questions about my journey from my childhood and the challenges I experienced, to becoming a researcher, disability advocate, and representing South Africa internationally.”
As Emile spoke to the young man before him, he was reminded of the little autistic boy he once was.
“I remembered being underestimated. Being told what I couldn’t do. Fighting every day simply to be accepted. Like many autistic people, my journey has never been easy, and there were times when I never believed I would achieve the things I have today.”
Their conversation became far more than an interview. It became a viral conversation that showed how seeing someone who shares your journey can completely change what you believe is possible for yourself.
Our SPAR Hero of the Week takes us all the way to Bali, where Milnerton lifeguard Kate Rautenbach proved that being a lifesaver isn’t something you switch off while on holiday.
Relaxing beside the pool with her family, she heard cries for help and instinctively sprang into action, rescuing a struggling swimmer before tragedy could unfold.
“She reached the 30+ year old male swimmer in no time and managed to grab him, keeping him afloat until the pool lifeguard arrived with a flotation device. Together, they guided him to the edge of the pool,” reported Kate’s club back at home, the Milnerton Surf Lifesaving Club.
Her quick thinking and years of training ensured that someone else’s holiday ended with gratitude instead of heartbreak.
This week’s Kids’ Storybook takes readers beneath the beautiful purple canopy of Pretoria’s famous jacarandas to discover how these beloved trees first arrived in South Africa.
Every year, almost as if by magic, the streets of Pretoria suddenly turn purple.
One day, the trees are plain and green… and the next, soft lavender flowers begin floating through the air like confetti from the sky.
Children crunch the fallen petals beneath their shoes.
Cars drive through purple tunnels of blossoms.
And the whole city feels magical.
It’s a charming story filled with history and wonder…
And because no week feels complete without a happy animal story, our OnePlan Pawsitive Story introduces readers to a tiny serval kitten rescued after a devastating veld fire.
“The youngster had been discovered after a devastating veld fire stripped the surrounding area bare, leaving him completely exposed, with nowhere to hide and no mom or siblings anywhere in sight.” shares the South African Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (SAWRC).
Realising the kitten needed help, the attendant did not think twice about safely scooping up the kitten and taking him to the garage owner, who immediately rang up wildlife rehabber Judy from the SAWRC. She then contacted Anton and Tarien Schoultz, who hopped into their vehicle and made the 80km round trip to collect the little survivor.
The little survivor now has a warm bed, full tummy and a bright future ahead.
These are just a handful of the stories that filled our week… there are many more waiting for you in this Friday’s newsletter and across Good Things Guy.
And while headlines often tell us what’s broken, South Africans continue showing us what’s possible. We get to tell all those stories here. If we can carry even a little of Mandela Day into every ordinary day that follows, imagine just how many more good things we’ll have to share next week.
That’s it. Happy Saturday. Wishing you only good things!
by 
