WATCH: ‘I have four bullets in my body, one lodged in my skull and three in my leg’
A life behind bars.
Talking about drug abuse, crime and gangsterism in prison is not just second-hand information for Nani Matsoso (48), the words drug abuse, crime and gangsterism have been a reality which the former 27 gang leader has lived most of his life behind bars.
He was sentenced to an effective 36 years in prison and served a maximum 28 years and 8 months in jails across the country. Despite the hardships he suffered in prison, Matsoso’s life is headed in a new direction and he is spearheading a campaign to denounce gangsterism in public schools in Soweto.
He said, “People should know that crime does pay but in a bad way. They either get permanent damage from bullet wounds, get maximum sentenced or get sexually assaulted in prison. Most prisoners come out of prison worse than they were before their sentences because they are not receiving proper rehabilitation in correctional services facilities.”
Matsoso was arrested on August 12, 1989, on charges of armed robbery, hijacking, murder and possession of unlicensed firearm.
Of those days, he said, “On that fateful day, 11 of us were involved in the crime, but 10 of my accomplices were all shot and killed.
“I was the only survivor and I sustained multiple gun wounds all over my body. I have four bullets in my body, one lodged in my skull and three in my leg. It was through God’s grace that I survived, but the judge sentenced me to 36 years in prison, which was a bitter pill to swallow.”
He said within two days of his sentence at the Groenpunt Maximum Prison in the Free State province, he was attacked by four of the 28 prison gang members in the toilets who attempted to rape him. Matsoso said they pushed him towards the toilet window which broke and he used the broken glass to stab one of his attackers who died one week later.
“I tried in vain to explain myself to the authorities and prison warders, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. On that day I was beaten to a pulp by prison warders.
“I served nine years of my sentence at this prison and was later transferred to Baviaanspoort Prison in Pretoria to complete the rest of my sentence. In Pretoria, I served seven years and eight months,” he said.
He was later transferred to Kutama Sinthumule Prison in Limpopo where he served five more years. It was here that he became a 27 prison gang leader.
“After my stint in Limpopo, I was transferred to Boksburg Prison where I served four more years. My arrival at the Boksburg was preceded by rumours of my transfer. At the time, there was a bitter rivalry between the 26 and 28s prison gangs. The 27 and 26s formed an alliance and defeated the 28s in the Boksburg Prison,” said Matsoso.
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He said due to his involvement in the prison gang wars in Boksburg Prison, he was sentenced to a further two years in solitary confinement. Matsoso blamed prison warders for fueling the prison gang wars, adding that they gained financially.
He said prison warders helped to smuggle contraband like dagga, knives and the ingredients to make traditional beer into the prison cells and lambasted certain prison warders who he said, smuggled the juvenile prisoners into the hard-core criminals’ cells to be used as sex slaves by prisoners.
He continued, “They were smuggled into the cells in exchange for money.
“I was again transferred to Johannesburg Central Prison (Sun City) where I served the remainder of my sentence and where I met Lesego Tau during a prison tour.
“Tau played a major role in my rehabilitation and showed me the importance of educating youngsters about the dangers of crime, drugs and gangsterism in our schools,” said Matsoso.
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After his release in 2016, he teamed up with Tau and he is now lecturing pupils on behalf of the Lesego Tau Education Foundation.
“We visit local schools and spread the message that crime doesn’t pay and we also highlight the importance of education to our youth. My objective is to help these youngsters steer well clear of jail. I want to be instrumental in the upbringing of productive future leaders of this country and make South Africa a better place for all,” he said.
Lesego Tau agreed that there was no one who could tackle the topic better than Matsoso who has he served 28 years in prison.
Tau said, “Matsoso knows about the good, the bad and the ugly of prison and gangsterism.”
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