Positive Thursday: Human kindness still exists in SA, come see for yourself

Recent months have seen an onslaught of negativity. We have all but lost our minds in the tussles and dust-ups. Like a lighthouse, we feel we are being hit with wave after wave of endless nonsense — with no dawn in sight. 

Therefore, The Newcastilian – Online News proudly presents great news and showcases some incredible people! Watch as one man invites a homeless man to have breakfast with him, showing how humanity still very much exists:

At any stage of your life, when visiting a restaurant, pub or coffee shop, did you give any thought to the waiters’ lives and what they might be going through?

Watch as these men catch waiters by surprise with acts of beautiful generosity:

In March of this year, a person noticed a man begging for money and decided to buy the homeless person and his family groceries. Watch uBuntu at work:

With kind-hearted people still found in South Africa, what other good news has gone unnoticed due to the obsessive focus on corruption, violent crime and the pandemic?

Well, brilliant news, Black Rhinoceros numbers are on the increase!

The black rhinoceros is classified as critically endangered, but WWF has brought some much-needed hope for these remarkable animals’ survival.

WWF recently reported the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project celebrated the birth of more than a dozen calves this year.

WWF stated, “On World Rhino Day, the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project celebrates the birth of at least 13 calves in 2020 on project sites across South Africa and in Malawi. 

“Two of the calves are second generation, meaning their grandmothers were among those moved to create new populations.”

What makes this even more special — the birth of the calves can be linked to the dedication of officials from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.

WWF’s project leader, Jacques Flamand, highlights, “This is why WWF entered into a partnership with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife nearly two decades ago. It’s what we’re about. We decided to increase the range of black rhino in order to increase growth rate and numbers of the critically endangered species. It started slowly and has taken a lot of harork and commitment from a lot of partners. Now we are starting to see the results that we hoped for.”

There are now approximately 270 black rhinos on the project’s 13 partner sites.

Agriculture can see a crop-destroying fungus turn into a beneficial partner. 

Did you know, plants and fungi can get viruses as well? And the viruses can prove to be fatal just like those found across many living things.

While a virus can prove to be fatal for crops, one virus has become a game-changer for farmers with canola crops, as this year has ushered in a new era in controlling the spread of viruses and fungi in their crops.

As many know, canola, sometimes known as rapeseed, is a popular form of cooking oil. However, it also forms a vital part of animal feed and much of the world’s biodiesel. But as with other crops, canola is prone to various pathogens. If grown in large-scale monocultures, canola’s vulnerability increases.

With this in mind, the biggest threat to canola is a fungus called Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. This fungus can kill the plant in a matter of days through stem rot. As detrimental to canola crops as this fungus can be, it seems farmers might no longer need to control the fungus through extensive suppression measures.

Instead, according to Professor Daohong Jiang of Huazhong Agricultural University, China — the fungi can be tamed with the virus SsHADV-1.

Amazingly, when infected with the virus, the fungi no longer have a deadly effect on canola plants. Instead, it forms a mutually beneficial relationship, whereby the fungus lives inside the plant without killing it; and surprisingly, it actually bolsters the immune system, thereby enhancing its growth.

With good news and human kindness still to be found, be sure to share your good news stories with us! 

And remember to smile, it’s for free, yet is worth so much! 

Authors: Quinton Boucher and Calvin Swemmer

Edited: Calvin Swemmer