What Not to Have on Your CV

In a gang at age 12, arrested at age 16 and in Pollsmoor prison for a 23-year sentence at age 17 is not the kind of qualification on your CV that gets you a senior job in the corporate world. Not even if you're a top general in that prison gang by your early twenties, with command over more than 2500 people.

That's the career path that Welcome Witbooi sketched to the club when he spoke at the meeting this week. But he also spoke about life after prison and his Brightspark Foundation SA.

                                  Welcome Witbooi

Welcome told the club that Brightspark is an organisation which aims to inspire change and create opportunities for young people.

"The laughter of a child is a reflection of happiness, it's that moment in their lives when pain no longer triumphs."

                                   Lesedi Phaahla reciting and enacting her poem

He then introduced three girls who had accompanied him, all three achievers despite stressed backgrounds and asked Lesedi to enact a poem she wrote, a heartfelt and very dramatic plea along the themes of woman and child abuse.

Welcome says as a child growing up his father believed in work, "my father was present but he was never available. He never taught me to play soccer or any other sport like many fathers do".

The gang members in Valhalla Park spotted his vulnerability and recruited him as a runner at the age of twelve, delivering packages while in school uniform.

Within four years he was in Pollsmoor, considered one of the most dangerous prisons in the world, after being arrested for an attempted random attack on a woman who had been targeted for his initiation. He was arrested and once in prison, recruited to the 28 Gang, where he quickly rose through the ranks, mainly by stabbing prison warders and getting a star for each incident; he ended up with four.

       President Julian Nagy handing over an umbrella as a gift to Welcome Witbooi

He said that for the first stabbing he was accompanied by two other prisoners, who would have stabbed him had he not carried out his instruction.

"I listened to guys boasting about the nasty things they'd done, about raping and robbing and so on and I started wondering: if I ever became a father, what kind of father would I be? After seven years I decided I didn't want to be that kind of man."

A meeting of four other gang generals from other prisons was held where he asked to be able to leave the gang. Two of the four were "judges" and two "executioners". One of them was a man who he'd taught to read when he first got into prison and that, he believes, is what saved him.

        Paul Chinn, Babette Gallard, Wendy Challis and Jankees Sligcher with Welcome Witbooi

"I had to stand naked in front of them and if they said no, they would have stabbed me in the kidneys and twisted the knife so that I would bleed out in a few minutes. The prison would have been locked down for eight days and my praises sung, but I didn't want that. I wanted to make a lasting impression."

"I said I want to be a man of integrity, I want to be a good father. I'm here today because of one act of kindness. Now, giving back to young people is my way of making up for the wrong that I did."

After leaving the gang he was moved to the Brandvlei prison until he was released in 2012 for good behaviour after serving 14 years of his sentence. "I've had a clean record for 11 years now," he said.

          Judy Sligcher, Victoria Adekomayo and Karlien Kruger

A welcome visitor at the meeting was Victoria Adekomayo of the Rotaract Club of Johannesburg of which New Dawn and the Rotary Club of Johannesburg are the sponsors. Victoria, who is putting the finishing touches to her PhD in Management at the University of Johannesburg, said the Rotaract club has battled post-Covid, but that they have many plans for the new year.

New Dawn has agreed to sponsor five of the Rotaracters to the Festive Dinner next Saturday at Marks Park.

          Amina Frense, Carol Stier, Jankees Sligcher and Christoph Plate 

Although not a visitor, it was good to see Christoph Plate at the meeting. Christoph has been absent due to his many travels and other work pressure, but said he is planning to be more involved with Rotary again next year.

Note also the club banner that PDG Jankees is holding: Linda and I found a whole pile of them stuck away in a cupboard at home so if you have an occasion where you need one to hand over (mainly when visiting other clubs) you know where to find them.

          The 5 Cees in Berea is moving to greener pastures

We've had news from Judy Symons that the Christ Church Christian Care Centre (also known as the 5 Cees) has purchased a large property on an agricultural holding in Centurion.

"This large plot of land will have more than enough space for the children to run around as well as for the creation of a sustainable vegetable farm," says Sarah Sunker who, with her husband Ajith, runs the centre. They hope to take ownership of the land before the end of January next year and have already begun enrolling children in schools in the area.

They plan to relocate everything before the end of next year and then to sell the draughty old building, originally an hotel, in Berea where they currently are.

The 5 Cees try to send their charges home for the festive season and have asked for contributions towards hampers that every child can take home with them. Judy Symons has agreed to lead the effort and has asked that any contributions in the form of money be paid into the club account, clearly referenced with your name and 5 Cees. Please arrange with her if you'd rather donate foodstuff such as tins or other dry goods.

Next week: Remember, there will be no meeting next Wednesday (nor any until the new year) because of the Festive Dinner next Saturday, 3 December at Marks Park. There are already about 60 people going

and the aim is to try to get at least 100 there, so please pay up and respond to the invitation soonest.

A Thought for the Week: He is a hard man who is only just, and a sad one who is only wise. - Voltaire (1694 - 1778)