Saturday Good News South Africa Wrap Up! Stories Restoring Our Faith!

Between the chaos of everyday headlines, South Africans were out there saving lives, rescuing animals, winning international awards and helping complete strangers. That’s the side of this country we hold onto at Good Things Guy.

South Africa (23 May 2026) – South Africa can feel heavy sometimes. Open your phone for five minutes and you’ll find enough doom and gloom to make you want to throw the whole internet into the sea. And listen, we’re not naïve about that. The hard stories matter too. They deserve coverage, attention and action. But if all we ever consume is fear, anger and chaos, we start believing that’s all this country is.

It’s not… that’s why Good Things Guy exists. To bring balance back to the conversation. To remind South Africans that while “hard” things may happen here, beautiful things happen too. Every single day. In every province. In every community. From ordinary people doing extraordinary things to stories that make us stand a little taller as a country.

And this week, South Africa showed up again (like we always do).

Every Friday, we send out our weekly newsletter to more than 100,000 subscribers, packed with all the good things you may have missed during the week. But I realised something… not everyone is subscribed yet. So welcome to the very first “Saturday Good News South Africa Wrap Up”, your little letter from the editor-in -chief, filled with the stories that made us smile, laugh, cry happy tears and believe in this country just a little bit more this week.

I’m not going to go through all the articles we featured in our newsletter, because we do want you to subscribe, silly. But I’ll highlight a few to get you excited.

One of the biggest stories this week came from the world-famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show, where Team South Africa once again reminded the world that nobody does floral artistry quite like we do. South Africa took Gold at the prestigious event… and took BEST IN SHOW!

Also, the fact that in our 50-year history of attending the event, Team SA has clocked 40 gold medals is absolutely epic! Congrats to Leon Kluge and his right-hand, Tristan Woudberg, along with their phenomenal team of green thumbs!

Then there was Rhys Thomas, whose story hit many of us right in the feels!

A decade ago, Rhys Thomas was told his life would never look the same again after a catastrophic heart attack ended his rugby career. Today, the former international player is back home in Cape Town, recovering from a successful heart transplant and speaking about the incredible gift that gave him another shot at life.

His story is not “just” about medicine or procedures, it is about humanity. It’s about what happens when one family chooses hope during unimaginable grief and how that decision can completely change someone else’s future forever.

Our SPAR Hero of the Week absolutely deserves another standing ovation too. Lance Stevens decided to run 100 kilometres… in circles… all to help young touch rugby players chase their dreams. I struggle emotionally after one lap around a shopping mall looking for parking, so what Lance achieved is next-level human determination. But what made it special wasn’t just the distance. It was the reason behind every single step.

The motivation behind the run comes from a deeply personal place. Lance grew up in a single-parent household and says the kindness of others helped shape both his sporting journey and who he has become. When he first entered the world of touch rugby, he could not afford the first tour. Someone stepped in to help. He also credits the film Pay It Forward with leaving a lasting impression on him while he was growing up.

“For me, it’s a way to give back to people who can’t afford it so they can experience the same feeling I’ve had every single year being part of this community.”

And then there was probably the best story many people missed this week… Rassie Erasmus received a major international honour.

The Order of Ikhamanga is one of South Africa’s highest honours and recognises citizens who have made exceptional contributions in fields including sport, arts, culture and literature. According to the Presidency, Erasmus was recognised for his “inspirational leadership in national and international rugby that has propelled the Springboks to repeated Rugby World Cup championships.”

The Presidency further noted how those victories helped unite South Africans and elevated the country’s standing around the world.

He told us that we are “Stronger Together”, he showed us that we are “Stronger Together” and he keeps reminding us that we are “Stronger Together”!

We also added two new features to our newsletter (and to Good Things Guy).

Last weekend, South Africans became completely captivated by a viral elephant story doing the rounds online. It spread across social media feeds and family WhatsApp groups. Yes, it was completely fake. But it was a reminder of something important… storytelling still connects us. It sparks imagination, curiosity, empathy and wonder. With Youth Month around the corner, it felt like the perfect time to build something meaningful around that idea.

And so… we officially launched our brand-new “4 Kids” section… a dedicated space for kids, parents, teachers and readers looking for real South African stories adapted into a storybook style for younger audiences.

The new section will feature stories inspired by real events happening across South Africa. No fake elephant stories here. Some of them will be timeless stories pulled from our archives and rewritten in a way younger readers can understand and enjoy. Others will be current good news stories adapted for children as the news breaks for adults. Cause kids deserve to be “in the know” of all the good things too! It’s a way to help younger South Africans connect with the world around them through storytelling that is local and uplifting.

And this week, we added the beautiful story of Mandisa, a South African who dreamed of flying as a young child… and then went on to become the world’s first Black African female combat fighter pilot!

And finally, our new OnePlan animal story of the week!

Oneplan has officially joined forces with Good Things Guy to celebrate all the incredible animal stories that continue to inspire South Africans every day. Starting this week, you’ll be seeing Oneplan featured in our weekly newsletter, where together we’ll be selecting one standout animal story to celebrate every single week. And it gets even better than that!!! The chosen story will receive something special from Oneplan, adding a little extra joy to the people, pets or organisations making a difference in the lives of animals across the country.

This week, we chose Rex’s story, which followed the emotional rescue of a missing pup found during the flooding in the Breede Valley. If you’ve ever loved a pet, you’ll understand exactly why the reunion had people crying into their coffee.

If this were a “verimark” advert, we would totally say, “But wait, there’s more!” And there is. Soooo many good news stories! You can find this week’s newsletter here, with all the stories we featured, or you can subscribe by clicking here. Oh, and if you want even more, then please visit Good Things Guy… these were just 6 stories out of the 100 we share every single week!

This country is filled with extraordinary people doing extraordinary things. Every single day. People helping strangers, saving animals, chasing impossible dreams, creating beauty, building communities and choosing kindness.

When we make space to notice these stories, something changes within us. We find hope. We feel a little prouder. We may even breathe a little easier. And we remember who we are.

So if this week felt heavy, I hope this helped lighten the load. I hope these stories changed your perspective.

Wishing you only good things… always.

Okay. Love you. Bye.

Sources: Various | Articles all linked above | Saturday Good News South Africa Wrap Up! 

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Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes and hear their incredible stories:

Or catch an episode of Good Things with Brent Lindeque or our Weekly Top 5 below. The videos here are always changing, updated with the latest episodes from these two shows. Both are part of Good Things TV, created to bring South Africans balance at a time when the news can feel overwhelmingly negative. Our goal is simple: to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in our country – and to leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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