Former notorious gangster fights substance abuse
KwaThema - Ex-convict Chere Matseke (33) has turned his life around, becoming a role model in his community.
He has dedicated his life to help fight gangsterism, substance abuse and crime.
Chere says that he started being self-destructive at the age of 16.
“I became popular in the community as a pantsula dancer who was loved by many.
“The fame went to my head and I got involved in activities and went to places which exposed me to self-destructive behaviour.
• Read: A fight against substance abuse
“I started smoking dagga and drugs at the age of 13 and thought that I was cool because this was the culture of someone who was popular in the township,” he says.
He says, since this lifestyle was expensive to maintain, he started getting involved in criminal activities.
“I was arrested for the first time at the age of 14 and the following year at the age of 15 I was re-arrested and I managed to escape from prison.
“I didn’t learn anything from this but got worse. I was smoking heavy drugs, carried guns, turned into a hardened criminal and dropped out of school.
“I had been to most of the juvenile centres in the country at the age of 16,” he says.
Chere says that in 2003 he was one of the youngest wanted criminals in the east of Johannesburg.
“I was arrested on my 18th birthday and sentenced for 18 years,” he says.
• Also read: Addressing issue of substance abuse in the community
Chere says that during his time in prison he decided to turn his life around.
“I stopped smoking and smuggling drugs, participated in rehabilitation programmes and embarked on a journey of self-discovery.
“I was released in 2011 on early parole for good behaviour after serving six years nine months of my 18-year sentence,” he says.
Chere says he has decided to dedicate his life to motivating and empowering young people to avoid criminal activities.
“It is easy to get carried away while trying to fit in with friends but it is not worth it – you can lose everything within a short space of time,” he says.
Chere says he has partnered with Thami Ngubeni from Kasi Love Campaign to help fight drugs in the community.
“We are calling on the private sector also to come forward to invest in the initiative,” he says.
