HIS journey to turn his life around began in prison, where he was serving a 10-year jail sentence for armed robbery in 2006.
The 33-year-old from J section in KwaMashu, north of Durban, told Daily Sun he realised he would need to keep himself busy as he would spend a long time behind bars.
“I did a cooking course to become a chef and earned a certificate. I started cooking in the prison kitchen.”
He said he still wasn’t fulfilled when he cooked as he felt there was something more he needed to do.
“I realised I loved nice clothes and asked warders to help me start sewing. I was given tools and I taught myself how to sew with a needle.”
He said at the time he was still working in the kitchen, cooking porridge for prisoners. He said when he was finished cooking he would start sewing.
“I started by sewing a jacket. I was so proud of myself when I finished it because no one taught me how to sew.”
He said a lot of prisoners liked his work.
“Even the warders would come to me if their uniforms needed any alteration. They would pay me for my work.”
He said with the money he made he was able to buy a sewing machine. “I started sewing uniforms for the prison chefs.”
He said when he was released from prison last year, he decided to continue sewing.
“This is how I make a living now. If I hadn’t been arrested I would not have realised my talent. Maybe I would have been killed.”
He said he has changed his life because while he was in prison he realised that crime does not pay.
“Being arrested makes you lose out on many things. I was not around when my father died or when my child was born.”
He said now he is working on becoming the best at what he does.
