And just went the community thought Happy’s smile couldn’t get any wider!
Johannesburg, South Africa (3 October 2025) – Every complex has hard-working people who make it feel like home. For residents in a Jozi estate, that person is Happy.
Happy really lives up to his name. He’s the gardener who greets everyone with smiles, shows up before sunrise, and puts in a full day of hard work before making the 10km walk back home.
After a friend crashed his bicycle, walking became his only way to and fro.
Neighbours often gave him a lift when they could, but when they realised just how much ground he covered daily, they decided to do something bigger for the kind soul who always brightens people’s days.
“I would really like to help my guy ‘Happy.’ Never seen the chap not smiling and laughing,” shares a resident, who decided to put out a call for help to the community.
Could anyone spare an old mountain bike to make his commute easier? Within days, the community showed up to make good things happen.
Thanks to Play it Forward Jozi, a charity that collects and donates pre-loved sporting gear, a bicycle was sourced within days. From there, kindness did what it does best and snowballed!
The donated bike was serviced and fitted with new tyres. A neighbour added a helmet and lock. Others chipped in with a puncture kit, pump, and lights so that Happy could travel safely even in the dark.
Dave Nemeth, one of the residents who rallied behind the idea, shared:
“Within no time my post was being shared and a good friend of mine Lisa Pienaar found a bicycle through the incredible organisation Play it Forward Jozi. Alison Garret arranged for her husband to collect the bike. We collected it on Monday and although it was in great condition got it serviced and put on two new tyres. Our neighbour Iwona jumped in with a helmet and lock. We made sure he had a puncture kit, pump and lights for when its dark. Thank you to everybody that assisted as well as those that shared the post. We have really made Happy exceptionally HAPPY!”
Play it Forward Jozi, usually known for kitting out young athletes with sports shoes and gear, once again showed how second-hand items can change lives in unexpected ways. What is no longer of use to you, could be a game-changer for somebody else. That’s the kind of thinking that makes an impact.
Happy now has a reliable set of wheels and the community that gave him the gift say that his smile has somehow grown even wider…
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