Edenvale ex-convict shares his new lease on life with community

Sentenced to murder and several other crimes, Edenvale resident Jonathan Street now hopes to help others by sharing his story and providing hope to those finding themselves in ‘dark places’.

Originally sentenced to 24 years, Jonathan served 13 of those in various correctional facilities across South Africa.

According to national media reports, Jonathan was sentenced to four years on the charge of assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm, one year for discharging his firearm in public, 20 years for the murder of 18-year-old Kyle Norris and a further six years for the attempted murder of Graeme Mansfield.

The incident happened outside of a nightclub in Edenvale.

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Jonathan, now a parolee and realtor at a well-known agency, says that he is a changed man specifically since he found God.

“I accepted Jesus Christ as my saviour in prison. That was the pivotal moment for me changing my life. What I have since learned is that when you are born again you are saved at that moment.”

“For him, he still had to undergo a process of changing his mindset. “Over time I have to keep on renewing my mind to a place where I conform to Jesus.”

He said the only way to renew his mind was to fill it with new things and do things differently.

“This is a consistent process. It is something I’ve realised is that we need to stay humble and have a desire to grow.”

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Striving to be a perfect man, Johnathan said God has softened his heart and taught him how to love and have empathy for people.

“The character traits are still a work in progress but I strive to be as perfect as possible and the perfect man. I want to be known as someone who knows how to love not only in action but by being compassionate.”

Jonathan said those considered for parole must have served at least half of their determinate sentence.

He said it is also based on compliance with programmes and meeting necessary parole requirements.

“Once released on parole, we still complete our sentence but outside the correctional facility,” said Johnathan.

While in prison Jonathan finished school, obtained an N6 qualification in human resource management and completed his ICDL computer course.

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Wanting to inspire others, Johnathan said there is always hope so long as one is alive no matter how bad a situation may seem.

He now looks at helping others. Jonathan has done such talks at rehabilitation facilities, which has been received well.

Johnathan said most of those he spoke to have gone through a similar experience or are on the verge of experiencing it.

“I believe I provide many with hope and make them realise that there still is a chance.”

He hopes to host similar discussions at schools to warn, give advice and tell them about the dangers of choosing the wrong path.

Jonathan said learners in high school face several crossroads. He said at this age children are at a point where they can choose to finish school, experiment with substances, or fall victim to peer pressure to follow the wrong crowd.

Growing up in a middle-class family Johnathan said his parents and brother did their best for him.

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He said at King Edwards Preparatory School he started acting out in Grade Seven. He started experimenting with substances (drugs and alcohol) while he attended John Orr Technical School.

In Grade 10, Johnathan was expelled from John Orr for fighting but was accepted into Jeppe High School for Boys where he repeated the year but ultimately dropped out.

Jonathan said at that age he wasn’t going to conform to the ethics of a good school like Jeppe and started working as a bouncer at clubs.

“During my high school years, things started to go downhill. This is why the youth needs to be empowered to deal with problems and to make the right decisions.”

Johnathan is also the subject of a book called Through the Fire by Dr Garrath Rosslee.

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The book tells the chronological story of Jonathan – his life, the highs and lows and what led him to be incarcerated.

Johnathan explained that the book is a story about hope and grace. The book is available on Takealot and Greenstone Shopping Centre’s Exclusive Books.

Contact Johnathon to tell his story or to order books on 071 485 0267 or at streetawarenessptyltd@gmail.com