Former Pollsmoor inmate urges Philippi youth to choose school
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on IOL
Laizo Hangana, 37, a former inmate of Pollsmoor prison in South Africa, was sentenced to 16 years for armed robbery, carjacking and attempted murder before serving 10 years for good behaviour. He now roams the streets of Philippi, Cape Town, to convince young people that school and education remain the only way out of crime, according to the account gathered by IOL.
Laizo Hangana, 37, a former inmate of Pollsmoor prison near Cape Town, roams the township of Philippi to convince young people to stay in school, the South African daily Cape Argus reports via IOL. He grew up there and was sentenced at 24 to 16 years in prison for armed robbery, carjacking and attempted murder; he served ten of them for good behaviour.
His message draws on what he lost. His mother died of lung problems on a morning when she was due to attend a hearing in his trial, an episode he says he carried as a guilt. A former classmate, who became a lawyer and was assigned to defend him, pushed him to question his path. "I asked myself how I had ended up in crime. That day, I decided to change my life," he recounts.
He now gives motivational talks, describes prison reality and the consequences of criminal choices, and hosts his own podcast, Room50, devoted to his years behind bars. "Young boys must stay away from crime, because it does not pay. Focus on your books and education," he insists.
