South African comedian Schalk Bezuidenhout is training for his first-ever Comrades. And, he’s learnt a lot from the utility of the word ‘tapering’ when you don’t know what else to say to the wise sages of Comrades past who seem to relish in acting as vague as a fortune cookie of fear and advice. Watch Schalk’s hilarious take on it all:

South Africa (18 May 2025) — South African comedian Schalk Bezuidenhout is among the many rookie racers preparing to take on the upcoming Comrades Marathon for the very first time. And, amid the many lessons Schalk has learned (like how far 80kms actually is and why the word ‘tapering’ is a fast ticket to sounding like you know what you’re talking about in a group of runners), he’s also interacted with the ‘Comrades Fortune Cookies’.

A Comrades ‘Fortune Cookie’ is someone who has completed the race and proceeds to give a rookie runner vague, alarming, and somewhat riddled advice, including (but not limited to) “After halfway, you find out who you truly are.”

Schalk recently made some updates on his training, with a video dedicated entirely to the ‘Comrades Fortune Cookies’ and their scary warnings.

“They will make it their mission to put the fear of God in you. They’ll go, ‘oh is it your first Comrades?’ and you go, ‘yeah no it’s my first one, I’m very excited’. And they’ll go (with an expression as if they’ve just seen a ghost), “I remember my first one… good luck, that’s all I can say. Good luck. And then they run into a bush and disappear forever,” remarks Schalk. 

The comedian even hilariously compared these sages to Dumbledore from Harry Potter, who never really let the kid know what was actually going on but made sure to give vague warnings at a whim.

Watch: People Who Have Done the Comrades Before, Please Stop Scaring Us

Sources: Schalk Bezuidenhout 

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All Cornelle wished for ahead of her wedding day was the chance to see her husband waiting for her at the aisle. In a story encompassing romance, unity and proudly South Africa support, this bride-to-be has gotten the wedding gift of a lifetime: her sight!

Berlin, Germany (30 September 2024) — Most brides tend to have a few requests and wishes before their big days. But one South African bride-to-be named Cornelle Leach had a unique wish that no wedding registry could hold a candle to: the gift of seeing her soon-to-be husband on their wedding day.

Cornelle has Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy. It’s a debilitating retinal disease that has made her centrally blind to the point that she had 0% vision—meaning she’d never actually seen her fiancé before.

The two have navigated life through Cornelle’s struggle. For her, Russel’s been the guiding light of her mind’s eye.

“Amid the darkness, I found a beacon of light in the form of love,” Cornelle says.

“I am blessed to have found the man of my dreams, Russell, who sees beyond my impairment and stands by my side unwaveringly.”

When Russel’s family discovered Fedorov Vision Restoration Therapy, an institution in Berlin that could help Cornelle, magic and miracles married.

The institution could be the one that gifted Cornelle her sight again—no sure bet at the time, but a damn good one.

Cornelle started a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy to rally support for her chance. Even though she knew it might not work, she placed her bets on hope.

As the word spread, her story caught the attention of the likes of renowned local fashion designer, Gert-Johan Coetzee and famed comedian, Schalk Bezuidenhout.

Gert kindly offered to make Cornelle’s wedding dress and encouraged support for her while Schalk got to sharing the ‘bride to see’s’ story (his apt reference to Cornelle) with his own audience and as many people as possible.

What had staggered in support soon became a whirlwind of it, and by August, the institute for her treatment was paid for and the flights to Berlin, booked!

Both Schalk and Cornelle simply couldn’t believe how quickly South Africans responded to the call for support. In a matter of days, the impossible had become its counterpart.

“I have never been so proud to be a South African,” Cornelle shared.

“It was the effort of a lot of people giving the little amounts of what they could,” said Schalk.

In the update South Africa had been waiting for, Schalk met up with Cornelle in Berlin on the last day of her treatment in late September—an encounter they attribute to fate since he just happened to be in town for a show.

There, Cornelle revealed the incredible news that the treatment was a success! Moreover, it had even started working earlier than anticipated, doubling the amount of active cells in her retina already. The biggest joy of all? She got to see her love for the very first time.

“It has made such an impact on me and I don’t have words to express my gratitude because it’s not everyday when a girl can get her sight back or at least get the opportunity to,” Cornelle said in reference to everyone who helped her, near and far.

We’re sure her wedding day on 11 January will be the happy ending to a story that certainly deserves its own movie. But it’s also a one-of-a-kind reminder that sometimes truth isn’t just stranger than fiction, it can also be far more beautiful.

Sources: Schalk Bezuidenhout; BackaBuddy

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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.

The post The Bride to See: South Africans Unite to Gift Cornelle Her Sight! appeared first on Good Things Guy.