From the Ford Good Things Ranger delivering kindness across South Africa to a piano-playing technician finding his moment to shine… this week’s good news is full of humanity, heart, hope and happy tears.
If you only have a minute, read this: The Ford Good Things Ranger has officially hit the road, bringing Christmas to children across South Africa. A piano-playing technician has captured hearts, Benson Boone made a brave young girl’s birthday wish come tru, and South Africans are rallying behind wildlife, communities and animals in need. Plus, our young sporting stars brought home 11 medals!
South Africa (15 November 2026) – South Africa has given us so many reasons to be proud, to smile, to cry happy tears and to remember how much goodness there is in our beautiful country. From a technician whose musical talent captured hearts across the internet to a young girl having her biggest birthday wish granted, and everyday South Africans going out of their way to change lives, the good news has been coming from every direction.
This week’s Saturday Wrap Up is arriving a little later than usual. But there’s a very good reason for that. I was out doing some good things myself. And good grief… what an emotional day it was.
After months and months of conversations and planning, the Ford Good Things Ranger has officially started its journey around South Africa. Over the next year, this vehicle will travel across our beautiful country, supporting the charities, organisations and incredible humans who spend their lives helping others.
Our first adventure took us to Ennerdale, where we handed the Ranger over to Jason Vanporppal and the Winnie Mabaso Foundation. Jason, who captured South Africa’s heart when he skateboarded from Uganda to Cape Town earlier this year, is now taking the Ranger on a very different journey. This time, he’s delivering Christmas presents to children in communities along the route he travelled. We got to meet the beautiful children at the Winnie Mabaso Foundation and then joined Jason at One Small Act of Kindness, where we handed out Christmas presents and cupcakes. I stood at the back of the room, watching these incredible people do what they do best. Jason was giving every child his attention, sharing hugs, high-fives and so much love.
I cried. A lot. After 12 years of telling good news stories, I sometimes forget just how much those stories matter. Yesterday reminded me. We don’t just write about the helpers, healers and heroes. Every now and again, we get to help them too. And I know it’s just a car. But it’s also so much more than a car. It’s a vehicle for kindness. Literally. You can follow the journey on Instagram at @GoodThingsRanger. I’ll be joining the team in Cape Town on the 25th of November for the finale of this first adventure, before we hand the Ranger over to the next organisation.
But in the meantime, we’ve got some GOOD THINGS to catch up on!
Your Weekly Dose of Good Things
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Grade 6 Student Bailey Dekker Publishes Her First Book After 3 Years of Work!Our Good Things Guy newsletter is South Africa’s longest-running good news newsletter, and for 11 years, every Friday we’ve shared 15 of our favourite stories with 100,000 subscribers. We publish around 110 stories every week, so think of the newsletter as your weekly shortcut to the goodness, and this Wrap Up as a little sneak peek into what you might have missed.
If you’re not subscribed yet, please join us. We’d love to send a little more happiness your way every Friday.
Now, onto the stories!
A Vumatel Technician, a Piano and a Beautiful Surprise!
An internet outage lasting five days doesn’t usually lead to a heartwarming story, but that’s exactly what happened when Vumatel technician Darryl Julie arrived at Stella Pickard’s home to help restore connectivity.
While working at the house, Darryl spotted a piano and couldn’t resist playing a few notes. Stella, who was upstairs, heard the music and came down to discover the most incredible surprise. The technician sitting behind her piano was an extraordinarily talented musician! She filmed his performance, shared it online and, before long, more than 300,000 people had watched the video.
But the story gets even better. Darryl, who grew up surrounded by music and has dreamed of becoming a professional musician, didn’t even own a piano. When Stella discovered this, she decided to help. Within a day, Darryl had a piano of his very own, and Stella is now helping him find opportunities to grow his musical career.
Read Darryl’s beautiful story here.
Benson Boone Makes a Brave South African Girl’s Birthday Wish Come True!
Kenzie Riddle grew up in Durban before her family moved to Australia in 2024. After more than two and a half years cancer-free, the disease returned, and the courageous young girl now faces another difficult journey of treatment.
As her 13th birthday approached, Kenzie’s friends and family wanted to make something magical happen. Her biggest wish was to meet her favourite singer, Benson Boone, and perhaps even sing ‘Beautiful Things’ on stage with him. They shared a video online, asking people to help make her dream come true.
South Africa and Australia rallied behind her. The video spread, celebrities got involved, and eventually Benson himself saw it.
And HE MADE IT HAPPEN!
Watch Kenzie’s incredible moment with Benson Boone here.
A South African Woman Has Spent R1 Million Saving Wildlife. Now She Needs Our Help!
Gill Simpson, founder of Wild Rescue, has invested R1 million of her own life savings to build a dedicated wildlife clinic in the Hessequa region of the Western Cape, between Still Bay and Riversdale.
The building is complete, the recovery enclosures are ready and everything is almost in place to start helping injured indigenous wildlife. There’s just one final hurdle. Gill needs R66,390 worth of veterinary equipment before the clinic can begin providing emergency treatment.
With thousands of animals injured or killed on South African roads every year, a facility like this could make an enormous difference, especially along busy coastal routes.
Our SPAR Hero of the Week: 12-Year-Old Zara Is Bringing Healthcare to Those Who Need It!
Our SPAR Hero of the Week celebrates ordinary South Africans doing extraordinary things… and this week’s hero is only 12 years old!
Zara Greeff has recognised something that many of us take for granted. When we’re sick, we can often visit a doctor and get the medicine we need. But for families living in communities without easy access to healthcare, that simple privilege can be incredibly difficult to come by. After learning about the challenges faced by residents of Wolwerivier, near Melkbosstrand, Zara decided she wanted to do something about it.
Through her school’s Reach Challenge, she’s raising R30,000 to purchase six medical packs for doctors working with the Impilo Project, an initiative that brings free medical care to underserved communities. Each pack contains essential equipment and supplies that will help doctors provide care to hundreds of people.
“For me, this campaign is about compassion, generosity, and remembering people who may be facing difficult circumstances. It is about helping someone receive care, dignity, and hope when they need it most.”
Our BuddyMeal Pawsitive Story: A Community Rallies to Bring Leo Home!
Our BuddyMeal Pawsitive Story of the Week is about a very special dog named Leo, whose journey to finding a forever home has taken an unexpected turn. Leo was adopted through St Francis Animal Rescue and travelled to Cape Town to begin his new life. Unfortunately, concerns about the adoption came to light, and the rescue organisation made the difficult decision to remove him from the home.
That’s when a beautiful network of animal lovers stepped in. Laura Paarman opened her home to foster Leo, and Josh Paarman volunteered to drive him all the way back to St Francis Bay, ensuring that this lovely boy could return safely to the people who care about him.
Read Leo’s story and find out how you can help.
Our 4 Kids Story: The Missing Cauliflower That Grew Into Something Beautiful!
This week’s story from our Good Things Guy ‘4 Kids’ section might be one of my favourite reminders of how a little kindness can grow into something enormous.
It all began when someone stole a cauliflower from outside Johan Scott’s home in Heidelberg. Johan, a retired policeman, could have been angry. Instead, he wondered whether the person who took it might simply have been hungry. So he planted more vegetables. Tomatoes, beans, beetroot and all sorts of delicious things began growing outside his home, and Johan invited anyone who needed food to help themselves.
“No charge,” he said with a smile. “If you’re hungry, you are welcome.”
We’ve adapted this beautiful story especially for our younger readers, because teaching children about empathy, generosity and helping others is one of the most important things we can do.
Our Partner Story: Mama Haus Wins Big for South African Working Moms!
Phumelele Tau, the founder of Mama Haus in Melrose Estate, has been crowned the winner of Season Two of Incredible’s My Incredible Business competition. And her business idea is brilliant. As a mother of two and a successful film and television producer, Phumelele understands how difficult it can be to balance work and raising young children. So she created the solution she wished she’d had herself: a professional co-working space with childcare on site for babies and toddlers up to three years old.
Moms can work, attend meetings, grow their businesses and still be just a few steps away from their little ones.
Her innovative approach has earned Mama Haus a prize valued at R75,000, including R50,000 in Incredible vouchers and an ASUS All-in-One desktop to help grow the business.
Meet Phumelele and discover why Mama Haus is an Incredible Business.
Our Champion of the Week: Team South Africa Brings Home 11 Medals!
Team South Africa has given us so much to celebrate at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, returning with an incredible 11 medals and surpassing the country’s previous record of nine.
Megan Nieman made history by winning gold in the women’s 400m hurdles, becoming the first South African woman to claim gold at the Dakar Games. Seventeen-year-old Matao le Roux also struck gold in the men’s high jump, clearing an impressive 2.16 metres.
There were more podium celebrations for Enrique Bosch, who earned bronze in the men’s 110m hurdles, and Milan Blignaut, who secured silver in the women’s high jump. Bo Reed also represented South Africa in equestrian competition and was part of Team Africa’s bronze-medal-winning effort.
What an incredible achievement for our young athletes, who have put in years of dedication and hard work to represent our beautiful country.
And That’s Your Good News for the Week! I started this week’s letter telling you that I cried a lot yesterday. And after going through these stories again, I’m reminded why. And I’m also crying again!
There is so much love in this country.
It’s in the gardens we grow, the businesses we build, the medals we win and the people who give so much of themselves to help others.
And this week, I got to see some of that goodness with my own eyes. I got to hug the helpers and watch a little dream of mine drive off to do some really good things. What a privilege it is to tell these stories. What a privilege it is to live in a country filled with humans who care this much. Thank you for reading, for sharing, for subscribing and for being part of this community. Every time you share a good news story, you help more people see the South Africa that we get to see every single day.
And trust me, there is SO much more goodness still to come.
by 
