A kind petrol attendant named Nelson recently helped grandmother Gail out of quite the pickle after she started having tyre troubles along the highway!

Meadowdale, South Africa (26 May 2025) — In late April, grandmother Gail Erwee found herself in a pickle.

Driving along the highway with her 6-year-old grandson, Gail noticed that something wasn’t right with her car’s wheel. It had started making a noise, and soon, the smell of rubber raised Gail’s alarm bells. But, because of her grandson being in the car, she decided it best not to stop along the highway and push forward to get to a garage to sort out her tyre.

Gail managed to get to a petrol station in Meadowdale. It was a relief that she’d been able to get to some place safer than the highway, but it also begged the question, ‘What to do now?’.

It was at the same petrol station that this question was answered when she encountered the warmth of a petrol attendant named Nelson Ratabane.

Nelson didn’t just have a friendly smile or comfort to offer Gail. Instead, he ended up becoming her knight in green and blue armour.

“Nelson Ratabane, a friendly pump attendant came to my rescue and and assured me that there is no need to wait for help and was prepared to change the flat tyre thus saving us time and money,” Gail tells Good Things Guy.

Thanks to Nelson’s act of kindness, Gail’s tyre troubles were swiftly resolved, and the pickle she was in had become a fond memory.

“I would have had to wait at least half an hour for my husband to come and help me,” Gail reflects. “[Nelson] is an asset to his company and the community.”

People like Nelson remind us that help and hope can find us in the form of strangers. A few minutes of our time, a little stretch of going out of our way, and we might just save someone else’s day.

Sources: Email Submission 

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A parrot on the loose met a happy ending thanks to a security squad who went the extra mile to find her owner and watch over the bird until her owner came home!

Northern Park, South Africa (11 April 2025) — A gorgeous blue and yellow macaw parrot on the loose felt the kindness of strangers recently in Northern Park.

Luckily for the roaming bird, she had found herself in good company alongside security squad staff from the Mi7 National Group. If the group are sounding familiar, they are the same security team that lip-synced the Backstreet Boys in 2023!

The armed response group had been busy in the area installing sign boards when the parrot hopped onto their radars. However, while most might’ve marvelled at the bird for a minute before continuing work, the team considered that maybe someone was missing her.

Though no one knows for sure whether she was simply inspecting their work, or potentially looking for employment (some parrots are known to make for top-tier security alarms), one thing was understood: a parrot too far from home could mean a few, only a few wing-flaps until it’s goodbye forever.

Luckily, the staff were not about to let that happen on their watch. Reaction Officers quickly made contact with their Control Room to see if any reports of a missing bird had been made. As it turned out, the bird belonged to none other than the client the security squad had been helping!

Thanks to the team not turning a blind eye to the bird and choosing to keep a careful watch over her (or perhaps it was her over them), the parrot was safely reunited with her owner once the client got home.

The squad warmed many hearts with the little, but impactful act, proving that sometimes going above and beyond doesn’t need to mean saving the world. Sometimes, it’s simply saving one parrot on the loose.

Meanwhile in other heartwarming animal stories, two golden oldies named Ouma and Ounooi found their forever home at long last—together. You can read all about their happy ending here.

Sources: Mi7 National Group

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Sergeant Cwayi is in the spotlight for stepping up to help a community member get to the Animal Welfare Society! A bitter-sweet moment, Mrs Tshandu’s journey toward giving her dogs a better life was made much easier thanks to the Sergeant.

Philippi, South Africa (23 February 2025) — Stuck between a rock and a hard place after she lost her job, Mrs Tshandu from Cape Town had to make a decision that put her beloved animals first. And so, she prepared to surrender her dogs to the Animal Welfare Society, hoping that this would lead them to a better life.

In turbulent moments like this one, having someone to walk the road that leads to goodbye goes a very long way. For Mrs Tshandu, that someone happened to be SAPS Sergeant Cwayi.

Sergeant Cwayi stepped up for the community he serves wonderfully that fateful day earlier this week by going out of his way to ensure that Mrs Tshandu and her dogs got to the Animal Welfare Society safe and sound.

The team were blown away by the Sergeant, who went above and beyond the call of duty and wasted no time in naming and faming him.

After learning that Mrs Tshandu was surrendering her pets with the hope that her choice would give them a better life, a safer environment and a home where they would have their needs met in a way she couldn’t, the team also praised her for being a responsible pet owner.

Many AWS supporters have since weighed in to praise the Sergeant and Mrs Tshandu.

As Jacques Weber put it beautifully:

“[Sergeant Cwayi is] a true officer who understands the meaning of being a police officer. It isn’t just about fighting crime but extending a helping hand to serve the community…he is an example to all police officers. Mrs Tshandu, huge respect putting your dogs first.”

Sources: Animal Welfare Society of South Africa

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This past Valentine’s Day was extra special for the elders of Natal Settlers, thanks to school children who took the time and care to make them homemade, handwritten cards.

Durban, South Africa (19 February 2025) — In a world where we are so inundated with text on screens of all shapes and sizes, there’s something to be said about reading and receiving something handwritten on paper. For the elders of Natal Settlers, such a series of nostalgic surprises came their way in all colours and slants of hand thanks to school children who took the time and care to spread a little extra love.

The array of homemade, handwritten cards, along with heart-shaped cookies, came as a wonderful surprise to the senior citizens this past Valentine’s Day.

The Robin Hood Foundation (RHF), who shared the gifts made by the children with help from their teachers at Curro Christian Academy and Waterfall College, said that these gifts were some of the loveliest they’ve had “the honour of giving.”

Considering all the donations and essential goods the charity deals with as part of their day-to-day activities to help where help is needed; this is no small compliment!

“Some acts of kindness are so special they deserve their own spotlight—and this is one of them,” RHF reflected.

Each senior received at least three cards boasting little notes of love, encouragement and sweet wishes.

“For many of these elders, handwritten letters were once the only way to stay connected and in a world that has moved on to instant messages and emails, this simple, thoughtful gift brought back a sense of nostalgia, warmth, and connection,” RHF added.

“This is proof that it’s the mall gestures of kindness that make the biggest difference.”

Sources: Robin Hood Foundation SA 

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Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & 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 & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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