Sometimes, the hardest choice isn’t standing your ground—it’s letting go. Eight years ago, I exposed a lie that sought to divide us. Today, I chose to remove the article, not because I had to, but because growth demands reflection, courage, and the belief in second chances. When we know better, we do better. And when we do better, we grow—together.
Johannesburg, South Africa (12 November 2024) – When we know better, we do better. And when we do better, we grow.
It was August 2016 and Good Things Guy was just a year old. A small seed of positivity in a world that sometimes felt too focused on the negative.
2016 was also the year of Penny Sparrow – when some South Africans realised just how powerful and dangerous social media could be. Like the punch of a headline, a single post could spark outrage, stir emotions, shift opinions, and even become “facts” for some. The power was undeniable but so was the responsibility it carried.
Unfortunately, not everyone understood that responsibility.
That August, municipal elections were underway and a Facebook profile went viral. A young woman who was spewing vile, hateful comments about South Africans. It felt like another Penny Sparrow moment. Except it wasn’t.
It was like Bell Pottinger before we even knew who or what Bell Pottinger was. The scandal behind their political manipulation wouldn’t come to light until the following year but this could very well be early evidence.
The profile in question wasn’t a young woman at all. It belonged to a man, a South African man, who had crafted a fake persona to try to sway votes. It was deceit cloaked as influence but it wasn’t this person’s first attempt at using lies for personal gain.
I’ve only flexed my investigative reporting skills a handful of times and this was one of them.
I dug deep. I found out who they were, where they lived, and their history. Lies were not a new tool in their arsenal. Then I wrote about it. Not to shame them but to highlight how their attempt at division had backfired spectacularly. Instead of tearing South Africans apart, their fake social media account had done the complete opposite. It was uniting us. The piece was factual and inspiring, showcasing how we’re stronger together when it really matters. It was important at the time. Other news sites used my article to explore more around the narrative of creating fake social media accounts to manipulate people.
Soon after, the fake account – and the person behind it – vanished.
Three weeks later, I received a lawyer’s letter demanding that I take the article down.
I didn’t.
I fought back with everything on my side: the truth.
And I won.
That was the last I heard from them.
Until now.
Eight years later, over the weekend, I received an email from this same person. They asked me to remove the article. They told me it had become their legacy, the first thing anyone would see when they searched for their name. The email was sincere – or at least it felt that way. The cynic in me whispered it could be another manipulation, another careful crafting of words. After all, this person was known for that.
But when we know better, we do better. And when we do better, we grow.
So, as of this morning, that article from 2016 is gone. Not because I was forced to take it down, but because it no longer serves me – or you. Words have power, and those words I wrote eight years ago, while factual, were still shaping someone’s life in a negative way. They made a mistake but who am I to hold that over them forever? Who am I to play judge, jury, and executioner?
That is not who I am. That is not who I want to be. That is not the legacy I want to leave.
Why am I sharing this?
Because maybe you need the same reminder I needed.
When we know better, we do better. And when we do better, we grow.
Growth isn’t always easy – it takes reflection, humility, and courage to let go of what no longer serves us. It might even include forgiveness but we must remember that forgiveness isn’t about excusing the past, it’s about releasing its hold so we can focus on the future. By removing that article, I am choosing to believe in the possibility of change – in myself, in others, and in the power of second chances.
Every decision we make sends ripples into the world. We need to choose kindness. We need to choose to believe in the good. We need to choose better. We need to choose growth.
Because when we know better, we do better. And when we do better, the world becomes better too. Together, we grow.
Keep growing my friends.
by 