Bringing change to help ex-offenders
“We have five pillars where we start reuniting them with their families, which is a major thing.”
Chairperson of The Joseph Principle Ex-Offender Re-integration Programme Nhlanhla Zwane teamed up with Ravi Naidoo and other members to launch the organisation at Bracken Park Community Hall.
“Our goal is to look after ex-offenders when they come home. About 6 000 prisoners come out of jail every month in South Africa. We started a programme that will look after those ex-offenders and make sure they do not go back to jail,” said Zwane.
He said in terms of taking care of the ex-offenders, there are a lot of projects that they do and teach them to become better in life.
“Biblically, Joseph was in prison but moved to the palace. With this principle, we want to look into that and help the people coming from jail. We have five pillars where we start reuniting them with their families, which is a major thing. Sometimes, once an ex-offender comes out of prison they do not have a family structure.
“We want to get them employment because chances of being employed are scarce. We assist by learning them hard skills like barbering and training them to do woodwork and carpentry.”
Zwane said they are also taking them for counselling for about 12 months because they want to make a difference in their lives.
A change for the better
CEO of the organisation Naidoo, who is an ex-offender, told the CHRONICLE/RECORD/COURIER how he changed his life and vowed to help the ex-convicts.
Naidoo, who is a Thokoza resident, shared the testimony of his life as well as what he is willing to bring to the community. He explained how the community can get involved.
“I was sentenced to life plus 38 years. I spent six years on death row and was almost hanged in 1989.
“While in prison, I joined prison gangs and ended up as leader of one of these gangs but eventually changed my life and I came out. Because of my behaviour, I was given another chance.”
He spent 25 years in prison, from 1987 until 2012.
During his 18th year in prison, his father died, which saw him hit rock bottom. One day he prayed to change his life.
“My father was a well-respected man and I have disappointed him in many ways. It was time to change my life. I studied in prison and retained a diploma in teaching, a diploma in business management, and a national certificate in electrical engineering. I also studied catering, furniture production, music, computers and I started being a motivational speaker,” he said.
Grateful for support
“When I came out of prison, I was grateful that I had a family structure where I was given support. Most prisoners are worried they will be unable to be employed. We are trying to change that to eliminate crime in our country.”
Upon his release, he also found himself without a job.
According to Naidoo, because of his faith he got a job and has been working for about six years as a manager of a company. Naidoo said God began to accelerate his progress.
“My calling is to evangelise and speak to young people. I go to schools and visit gang members to talk to them about how they can change their lives.
“With this event, we want people to recognise what we do. We want partnerships with this programme to change the lives of ex-offenders. We have started here in Gauteng and are planning to go to other provinces. We want to change communities and motivate them to change their lives.”
For more information about The Joseph Principle Ex-Offender Re-integration Programme, contact Naidoo on 066 444 5980 or Happy Nkuna on 083 249 7416.
