Ex-convict turns life around

“Only God can judge me.”

This is the words of ex-convict, Tshidiso Hala, in an interview with The Weekly on Tuesday this week.

Hala, who was locked up for attempted murder, paid his dues by spending seven years behind bars and now claims to have turned around his life.

Instead of sobbing and feeling sorry for himself, the 26-year-old former gangster said he was glad to have gone to jail, and regards his incarceration as an eye-opening episode.

“Things come to an end at one time or another, so that’s how my gangster life had to come to an end; otherwise I wouldn’t have grown to be the man that I am.”

Hala has blamed his involvement in crime on his poor background that forced him to join a gang at a young age to make ends meet.

“I was naïve and stupid back then, people made decisions for me I had no say in my life. Someone else ran my life.”’

He now leads a clean existence, having given his life to God, whom he gives credit for seeing him through his jail term.

After his release, he vowed never to go back to his old ways and decided to turn his life around. He has since managed to write a book titled Crime, my story which hit the shelves on Tuesday. The book costs a lousy R150.

The book tells a story of how he was rejected and he went through hell during his upbringing as a young man.

“Growing up, I was troubled and it influenced how I did things; being a gangster might look cool but the things that take place within are just too traumatising.”

While in prison, he took an opportunity to equip himself and managed to get a fashion design certificate.

He urged the born frees never to give in to peer pressure, and to remember that education is the only weapon that will see them through. He also urged his peers to create jobs and not rely on hand-outs.

“Sitting at home feeling sorry for yourself will never change your situation other than lead you to temptations that will land you in trouble.”