Diana Jones and her family have spent the past decade visiting South Africa’s Kruger National Park, and it has been local kindness that has inspired Diana to continue her acts of kindness back home in Europe.
South Africa (08 October 2024) – Every tourist who falls in love with South Africa, speaks of local kindness. For them it’s a big deal but few know it has a very special name; uBuntu! It is engrained in how we live our daily lives. “I am, because we are”.
Diana Jones found herself witnessing this kind of kindness with each visit but it was one of her most recents that changed her own views on life back in Europe and how she could spread kindness to her own family.
Diana took to the Kruger National Park group on Facebook, sharing her recent experience in one of the shops at the camps and how it changed her life. The group has had several weeks of negative posts taking the limelight, causing great upset and frustration for fans of the park. Diana hoped to share a lighter perspective.
Her love of South Africa and its beautiful people has even inspired the family to resettle here in 2025, when they retire.
We reached out to Diana to share our love of her beautiful message and she welcome us to share it with everyone outside of the Kruger National Park Facebook group. So here it is:
Thank you, Kruger! Thank you, South Africa!
I’ve noticed quite a few negative posts lately, and I wanted to offer a different perspective. My family and I have been visiting Kruger from Europe every year for the past ten years, and with each visit, we fall more in love with this beautiful country. South Africa has its challenges, yes, but it’s also a land of immense beauty and incredible people.
One experience that deeply moved me was during a visit to the shop in Mopani. A young man, after excusing himself to assist an elderly couple with their firewood, returned and apologized for the wait, saying, “I’m sorry, but we must help our elders.” His kindness stayed with me, and it inspired me to make a greater effort to care for my mother-in-law, who has Alzheimer’s, by offering her husband some much-needed relief each week.
It’s those small moments of kindness that really show the heart of this country. Whether it’s in a shop or at a petrol station, people here take the time to say, “How are you?” It’s such a contrast to where we live in Europe, where everything feels rushed, and we sometimes forget the human connection.
As a teacher, I’ve also had a few South African students join my school, and what I’ve noticed is that they all ended up returning home within a couple of years. Europe might seem like a dream, but South Africa has so much to offer, and it’s important not to lose sight of that when things don’t seem perfect-whether in the park or elsewhere. Kruger is a world-class park, accessible to everyone, and its conservation efforts are something to be proud of.
You are lucky to live in such a beautiful country. We love it so much that we’ve bought a house in Hoedspruit and plan to retire here in 2025. We can’t wait!
by 