Last week I had an opportunity to meet one of the inmates who was
imprisoned for 7 years, and was a friend of mine in Primary School. He used to
steal anything from a pet to a cow, dog houses, wire fences etc. for a living
when he was 11 years and was imprisoned for an attempted rape and was taken to
juvenile. He was released and committed another crime but then he was old
enough to take on a sentence as an outlaw. His mother passed away when he was
about 12 years and his father couldn't care less about what his boy was doing.
This man was released in 2011 but his father had to be the one to sign him out
but failed saying his son should rot in jail but life could spare him long
enough until he got sick and passed on, his son was released the following year
and now time had already gone. When he got out he said to me "I am going
to look for a job." thinking to myself how much of a difficulty would he experience
to hunt a job with a criminal record, I could not even discourage him but
frankly he knew it. When I met him last week he was wearing nice jeans coupled
with a t-shirt and his complementing the clothes and parked my car for a hand
shake and told me he is one working in Cape Town and life is treating him
fairly well but he expressed a pain of great magnitude when he told me his
feelings about wasting so much time of his life.
I said to him forgive yourself
and keep moving on. When focus on the amount of time we wasted but fail to
embrace the moment we have today. Today South African teenagers I wish they
could learn from this man that time cannot be stowed away for a later use, I
wish they could stop their indulgence in NYAOPE (Drug) and other form of drugs
because they are left hopeless and out of form. I hope they could refrain from
criminal activities and make this world a better place. This man is a good
example of rehabilitation and transformation. Let’s make awareness around
issues that are killing our society today and give love to our children,
brothers, sisters and cousins, we all deserve a chance because this man could
not get any form of support at the time he needed it the most.
Source - Thapelo, Welkom
MOTIVATIONAL
