“Crime doesn’t pay.” So says former offender Luyanda Luhle Mwezo (21) from Driftsands, Mfuleni, who recently captured public attention after appearing on the Skeem GP podcast, a platform that features stories of ex-offenders.

Also known as “China”, she revealed she had been a doing dirty job for nearly eight years before deciding to change for the better.

Many listeners were intrigued by her use of tsotsi taal during the podcast, as she openly shared her journey into crime and her efforts to rebuild her life.

Reflecting on her childhood, Mwezo said she was raised by a single parent in the dusty streets of Driftsands. Her life began to take a negative turn in 2018 when she was in Grade 6 at Springdale Primary School, Mitchells Plain. Owing to behavioural issues, she was forced to change schools, attending Aloe High School, where she completed Grades 7 to 9. However, problems persisted and she was expelled.

Early exposure to crime leads to dangerous path

“I started becoming a problem at the age of 13 when still at primary school. All my friends were coloured boys and I was the only black girl. I had already started smoking dagga. They introduced me to their merchant, who then gave me dagga to sell to other learners at school. The teachers found out and I was suspended.”

Mwezo said her mother was unaware of her behaviour at the time. In 2022, she enrolled at Maitland High School, hoping for a fresh start. However, she was disappointed to find that learners there behaved similarly to those at township schools.

Life after crime: relationships that fueled criminal activity

Her involvement in crime deepened and she started a relationship with a criminal when in Grade 10.

“One day he came to see me at school with a friend. After school, we requested an Uber. On our way home, near NY78 in Gugulethu, they hijacked the driver while I was in the car. They took the vehicle and dropped it in Samora Machel. I was shocked, but I continued dating him.”

Eight months later Mwezo’s boyfriend was arrested. Since then she became involved with someone else who was also involved in crime.

“My second boyfriend initially robbed people using a knife, but because I was used to being with a hardcore criminal, I introduced him to my ex-boyfriend’s friends in Lower Crossroads. That’s where he became more involved in serious crime. Sometimes we would go together as a group to commit crimes.”

She said they dated for four years before he was shot and killed in Site C last year.

Mwezo was arrested and spent six months in custody on charges that included murder, housebreaking, possession of an unlicensed firearm and robbery. Her cases were still pending.

Turning point after loss and fear for her life

Following her boyfriend’s death she went into hiding before making the decision to turn her life around. She now warns that a life of crime not only endangers those involved but also puts their families at risk.

“My family didn’t want me to attend my boyfriend’s funeral, but I went anyway. Even now I know there are people watching me who may want to kill me. But I don’t care; I’m choosing to live my life differently.”

Former offender turns life around and chooses a new future

Mwezo is currently enrolled in a training programme to become an auxiliary health worker at Glen Lilly Training College in Bellville. She hopes to use her past experiences to make a positive impact.

“I’ve seen it all. I’ve been in prison and I’ve done bad things, but now I want to give back and help people. I want to save lives and support those I once wronged.”