The Good Newspaper

05/06/2026

Two Oceans Aquarium visitors can view one of South Africa’s most elusive jellyfish species, the pink meanie jellyfish (Drymonema sp.), currently part of the Jelly Gallery. The species is rarely encountered in local waters, making this a notable exhibit for the Aquarium. 🐙

The pink meanie can reach around 20cm in bell diameter, with tentacles extending more than three metres. While visually distinctive, it is also a specialised predator that feeds on other jellyfish, placing it near the top of the jelly food chain in its natural environment.

Aquarist Ayrton King notes that successfully maintaining a specimen of this type is particularly challenging, given the complexity of caring for jellyfish in captivity. The exhibit reflects a significant achievement in marine husbandry and ongoing research into jelly species behaviour. 🪼

This offers visitors a rare opportunity to observe a species that is seldom seen and rarely encountered in captivity. 🧡

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26/05/2026

Ahead of International Cancer Survivors’ Month in June, CANSA is drawing attention to the reality that for many people, cancer continues to affect daily life long after treatment ends. Survivors often continue to navigate emotional strain, financial pressure, physical side effects and the uncertainty that can follow a cancer diagnosis. 🎗️

Beyond awareness campaigns and screening services, CANSA The Cancer Association of South Africa continues to provide practical and emotional support to survivors and their families through counselling, support groups, hospital information desks, medical equipment loans, wigs and prostheses, home-based care guidance and advocacy support. The organisation says survivorship should not only be measured by treatment outcomes, but by whether people are able to move forward with dignity, support and hope.

As part of Cancer Survivors’ Month, survivors are being encouraged to share messages of hope and encouragement with others navigating cancer, recovery or life after treatment. The campaign serves as a reminder that no one should have to face the realities of cancer alone, and that support remains essential at every stage of the journey. 🧡

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By CANSA“Cancer survivorship is not only about living beyond diagnosis and treatment. It’s also about survivors being enabled to live with dignity and hope, practical help and emotional care through every stage of their cancer experience,” says National Manager: Care and Support, Lisa Strydom ...

14/05/2026

TEARS is urgently looking for foster homes after recent storm damage left several of its kennels unusable, placing enormous pressure on an already overwhelmed rescue system. Among the most urgent cases are tiny puppies needing regular bottle feeds, along with adult dogs who simply need somewhere safe and warm, while repairs are completed. 🐶🏡

Winter is always a difficult time for animal welfare organisations. More animals are abandoned, more rescues come in from the cold and rain, and shelter space disappears quickly. TEARS Animal Rescue says many of the puppies currently in their care were either surrendered or found abandoned, while adult dogs continue waiting for someone to give them a chance. Every foster placement and every adoption creates room for another animal to be helped. 🐾

There is nothing small about offering safety to an animal that has nowhere else to go. Whether you can foster for a few weeks, adopt permanently, or simply help spread the word, your support could completely change the course of a dog’s life this winter. 🧡

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By Soapbox CommunicationsTEARS is in desperate need of foster parents to bottle-feed tiny puppies and providetemporary homes for adult dogs displaced after the recent st orm damage to several of the organisation’s kennels. With repairs expected to take at least a month, foster homes are urgently n...

13/05/2026

As International Nurses Day was commemorated in South Africa yesterday, Life Healthcare South Africa reinforced its commitment to compassionate, high-quality care through its support of The Reach For A Dream Foundation’s Slipper Day initiative. Across 63 facilities nationwide, 15000 Slipper Day stickers are being worn by nurses as a visible gesture of solidarity with children facing serious and life-threatening illness, many of whom spend extended periods in hospital under their care. 🏥🧸

“Healthcare is built on human connection,” said Avanthi Parboosing, Chief People Officer at Life Healthcare. “For many children living with serious illness, nurses are the familiar faces who help them feel safe, seen and supported.” The initiative forms part of the group’s Power Behind Care campaign, which recognises the central role nurses play in shaping patient journeys and holding continuity of care within often complex clinical environments.

Reach For A Dream Foundation CEO Julia Sotirianakos emphasises the importance of nurses in sustaining hope for children and families navigating difficult medical journeys. Registered Nurse Fundiswa Matyala of Life Brenthurst Hospital added that Slipper Day reflects how small acts of kindness within healthcare settings carry lasting meaning for young patients. Together, the initiative underscores a shared commitment to restoring dignity and hope through simple, human-centred moments of care. 🧡

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By Reach For A DreamAs South Africa marks International Nurses Day, Life Healthcare is proudly supporting Reach For A Dream’s Slipper Day, reinforcing both its commitment to providing high-quality care and clinical excellence and appreciation for nurses who are the heart of compassionate care. In ...

12/05/2026

Montusi Mountain Lodge is a family-run lodge founded by Anthony and Jean Carte in the early 2000s and now under leadership of Lindsay Du Plessis. Its development has been gradual and intentional, shaped as much by the surrounding landscape as by the people who have remained part of its story over time. 🏔️🌿

The lodge has been designed to sit within the environment rather than sit apart from it. Each suite is a separate structure set in open space, positioned to preserve privacy and open views of the Drakensberg. Natural materials are used throughout, while lighting is kept deliberately low to reduce impact and protect the night sky.

That same sense of continuity extends beyond design into how the lodge operates day to day. Many members of staff have been with the property for years, with a focus on growing skills internally and building long-term stability within the team. Alongside this, the Carte family established and continues to support the Royal Drakensberg Education Trust, which provides early childhood education in the AmaZizi community, creating a direct link between hospitality and sustained educational support.

A stay here forms part of that wider system, supporting local employment, skills development, and early childhood education through the Trust. Over time, Montusi has developed in a way that prioritises responsibility over expansion, and where care for people and place is built into everyday decisions. 🧡

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By The Good NewspaperThe tourism industry is increasingly called upon to account for its environmental and social impact. Within the Northern Drakensberg, one family offers a practical example of how that responsibility can be translated into long-term practice. Founded in the early 2000s by Anthony...

06/05/2026

Diabetes stigma in South Africa is not an abstract issue, it is embedded in everyday language and attitudes that too often reduce people to a condition rather than recognising them as whole individuals. Building on its nationwide work, Sweet Life Diabetes Community is again drawing attention to how the words we use can either reinforce shame or restore dignity. 🩺

Words shape perception, and perception shapes behavior, which is why this conversation matters more than most realise. In South Africa, 1 in 2 people living with diabetes are undiagnosed, and stigma plays a role in that reality. When people feel judged or misunderstood, they are less likely to engage, test, or seek support.

Through lived experience stories, public participation on 14 May, and practical stigma and language guidance, the campaign calls for a more informed and compassionate national conversation. It is an invitation to listen more carefully, speak more responsibly, and see people living with diabetes in their full complexity and humanity. 🧡



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By Flux CommunicationsBuilding on last year’s nationwide Diabetes Stigma Campaign, Sweet Life Diabetes Community is once again focusing on diabetes stigma on the 14th May with .This year, our core message is around language:Diabetes stigma is reflected in the way we talk about ...

29/04/2026

Right now at TEARS Animal Rescue, the kennels are full and winter has only just started to settle in across Cape Town. There are dogs and cats on site who are healthy, vaccinated, and cared for, just waiting for someone to take them home. 🏡

As the cold and rain move in, the pressure on shelters increases quickly. More animals are being rescued from streets, informal settlements, and unsafe situations, which means space is constantly needed. Every kennel that opens up now is not just a spare bed, but rather a place for the next animal in need to come in out of the cold.

All animals available for adoption are prepared properly before they leave the shelter. They are health checked, vaccinated, sterilised where appropriate, and assessed so that the team can match them to the right home. The process is supported with guidance available to help people make the right choice for their situation. 🐶🐱

Sometimes the right match isn’t planned, it just happens when you’re there. One adoption means one less animal in a kennel, and one more space ready for the next rescue that walks through the door. 🧡

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By Tears Animal RescueThere's a dog at TEARS right now who'd really like to sleep on your couch tonight. A cat, too, who's been waiting weeks for someone to scratch behind her ears. If the house smells like there's chicken roasting in the oven, even better. If not, no problem. They're not fussy - th...

29/04/2026

South Africa has more than 4 million homeless dogs and cats, leaving shelters under constant pressure. Adoption rates remain low, in some cases as little as 9% for dogs and 19% for cats, leaving thousands of healthy animals waiting months for a home. Adopt a Shelter Pet Day on 30 April is a reminder that this is not a forgotten issue, it is currently happening in communities across South Africa, and we can do something about it. 🐾 🇿🇦

In a single year, Cape of Good Hope SPCA admitted over 23,000 animals. At the same time, low sterilisation rates and uncontrolled breeding continue to add to the problem. The result is overcrowded kennels, limited resources, and difficult decisions being made every day, while animals that could thrive in homes remain behind bars.

Choosing to adopt does more than give one animal a home. It frees up space for another, eases the pressure on shelters, and shifts the system in a tangible way. For those considering it, adoption is a long term commitment that requires time, care, and stability, but it also brings companionship, routine, and a sense of responsibility that many people value deeply. 🐶

If adoption is not possible, there are still practical ways to help. Fostering animals, volunteering time, donating towards care and sterilisation, or simply sharing adoption posts all contribute to better outcomes. Supporting shelters is not one action, it is a collective effort, and each contribution plays a part in changing what these animals face. 🧡

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By EzrahAdopt a Shelter Pet Day on 30 April is the moment to act. South Africa is facing a companion-animal crisis. With over 4 million homeless dogs and cats, shelters are overwhelmed. Adoption rates generally remain low, with some shelters reporting outcomes as low as 9% for dogs and 19% for cats....

28/04/2026

Madeleine Hetem was four years old when she travelled to Cape Town with a small suitcase. Born with two holes in her heart, she spent her early years constantly tired and aware she wasn’t like the other children. 🏥

By the time she reached Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in 1972, the diagnosis was already clear. She was placed under the care of Christiaan Barnard, and admitted for open-heart surgery at a time when such procedures were still relatively new in South Africa. What she only learned later was that, during the operation, the team had reached a point where they were ready to close her chest. It looked like there was nothing more they could do, until someone asked for one final look that changed everything.

The change in her life was immediate and physical. Her first memory of health was childlike. “Now I can play rough with my brother.” And she did. She ran, she played, she grew into adulthood without the limitations that once defined her early years. She later built a family and a travel business with her husband, a life that would have been impossible without that moment in theatre.

More than fifty years on, she still keeps the small suitcase she arrived with, as a symbol of the life that followed. 🧡

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By Red Heart HospitalFifty-four years after her first open heart transplant, she still holds on to the little suitcase, smaller than her handbag, that she came to Cape Town in the hope of healing.As a toddler Madeleine was always tired and remembers how the hot weather left her breathless and she wo...

07/04/2026

With today marking World Health Day, Inyathelo | The South African Institute for Advancement has warned that South Africa’s healthcare non-profit sector is under serious strain. The pullback of international funding and the freezing of major health programmes are already being felt on the ground. Clinics are closing, outreach is slowing, access to HIV and TB care is becoming harder for the people who need it the most. 🌍

There is also a human cost behind all of this. The people working across the NPO sector are carrying increasing pressure with fewer resources and little room to recover. Many are dealing with burnout while trying to meet rising demand in their communities. These organisations have held the line in some of the country’s toughest spaces for years; expecting them to keep going without proper support is simply not sustainable.

Inyathelo is calling on government, business, and donors to step in with more practical, long-term support. That means funding core operations, not just projects, and making space for the wellbeing of the people doing the work. If we want a healthcare system that reaches everyone, we have to back the organisations and individuals holding it together. 🧡

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By InyatheloAs the global community observes World Health Day on 7 April, under the theme “Together for Health: Stand with Science,” Inyathelo, the South African Institute for Advancement, is raising a critical alarm regarding the sustainability of South Africa’s healthcare non-profit sector a...