There’s a beauty in telling stories of ordinary South Africans

One of the less pleasant aspects of journalism, so they say, is dealing with the misery of ordinary people you see every day.

In South Africa, especially, this can seem never-ending and there is seldom any bright spot.

This makes many of us cynical and leaches away whatever milk of human kindness we may have once possessed.

We decided this is the year we tell the stories of ordinary South Africans… not the politicians, the CEOs or the celebrities and the sports stars.

And our reporters have met some amazing people who despite their circumstances, can still smile, laugh and dream big.

One such is petrol attendant Jeremiah Sibiya who serenades motorists on the East Rand as he fills their cars.

It’s the highlight of the day for many and either helps prepare them for the day ahead on a positive note, or helps take the sting out of a bad one.

Sibiya hopes one day that he will be serenading people from a massive stage and not a petrol station forecourt.

It’s hard not to be inspired by someone like him.

It’s a reminder, too, that life can be beautiful and that all of us should take a moment to be thankful for what we have.