As South Africa steps into 2026, I’m not searching for big promises or polished speeches. I’m looking at people… because that’s where the real story of this country has always been written.
South Africa (03 January 2026) – I read the President’s New Year’s message this morning. I found myself nodding at some parts. And pausing at others. On paper, it says all the right things. Progress. Recovery. Confidence. Hope.
But if I’m honest, belief doesn’t come that easily anymore. Not from speeches or from statements. And not from promises we’ve heard before.
What I do believe in, though, is South Africa. Not the idea of it. The people of it.
President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks about signs of progress laying the groundwork for better outcomes in 2026. He speaks about renewed hope, greater purpose and confidence in the potential of our country and its people. And while I may not blindly buy into every word from the podium, I can’t ignore the parts that align with what we see on the ground every single day at Good Things Guy.
While politics often disappoints, people keep showing up.
Yes, much more still needs to be done. That part is undeniable. Unemployment, inequality, crime, gender-based violence and service delivery failures are not abstract concepts. They are lived realities. They sit at kitchen tables. They stand in queues. They show up in WhatsApp voice notes and late-night phone calls. They are heavy.
But here’s the part that matters to me: progress doesn’t only live in policy documents. It lives in action. And action is happening.
We’ve seen long stretches without load shedding. For families. For small businesses. For communities that had almost forgotten what consistency feels like. We’ve seen trains moving again on restored commuter rail corridors, giving people back time, safety and dignity. We’ve seen infrastructure investment spoken about not just as numbers, but as roads repaired, ports moving and systems being fixed. We’ve seen young people get work experience through employment programmes. Not enough yet, but enough to matter to someone who needed that first opportunity. We’ve seen businesses step up, partnerships form and private sector initiatives create real, tangible chances for those who have been locked out for too long. We’ve seen corruption investigated. Money recovered. Criminal networks disrupted.
Is it perfect? No. Is it fast enough? Often not.
Related Story
But accountability doesn’t just feel like a buzzword anymore. It feels more like it’s being tested, challenged and pushed forward.
And then there are the parts of the President’s message that I do believe. The reminder that South Africa works best when government, business, labour, civil society and everyday citizens work together. That collaboration is not a nice-to-have; it’s the only way through. We see that collaboration daily. In volunteers who feed communities. In neighbours who rally around families in crisis. In teachers who go the extra mile. In nurses, paramedics, artists, athletes and entrepreneurs who keep choosing to contribute, even when it would be easier to give up. The President spoke about our artists, sportspeople, musicians and writers lifting our spirits. That’s not an exaggeration. Culture carries us. Sport unites us. Creativity reminds us who we are when everything else feels uncertain. South Africans continue to fly our flag across the world, not because it’s easy, but because it matters.
I appreciated the President’s direct call to men to respect and honour women and girls, and to desist from gender-based violence and femicide. Words alone won’t end it, but saying it out loud, repeatedly and clearly, still matters. Silence has never helped anyone.
So do I believe everything in the President’s letter? No.
Not in the way belief used to work.
But I believe in momentum. I believe in small wins stacking up. I believe in the people who refuse to wait for permission to make things better.
At Good Things Guy, we publish up to 120 good news stories every single week. Not because we’re ignoring the hard stuff but because hope needs evidence. And South Africa keeps providing it.
As we step into 2026, I’m not asking for blind optimism or the belief in words alone. I’m asking for grounded hope. Hope that rolls up its sleeves. Hope that sees the problems clearly and still chooses action over apathy. Hope that understands progress is uneven, but possible.
This country has been through incredibly challenging times. And each time, it was ordinary people who carried it forward.
That’s where my belief lives. In you. In us. In the brave (stubborn) decision to keep going and keep building, even when belief feels fragile.
South Africa, I believe in you. And I am wishing you all only good things in 2026.
by 