From violence to varsity: former gangster’s second chance inspires hope

A former gangster from the Cape Flats is rewriting his life story after surviving a shooting that left him paralysed from the waist down.

Mervyn, who grew up amid violence and abuse, says the moment he was shot at the age of 19 marked a turning point rather than an end. “Bullets hit my body, but not my destiny,” he told People’s Post.

A childhood shaped by violence

Mervyn was drawn into gangs at just 12 years old, searching for belonging and power in an environment where violence was normalised. By his late teens, he had already had several run-ins with the law.

That cycle came to a brutal halt when he was shot and left for dead in the street.

‘Give me a second chance’

Lying injured with a bullet in his chest, Mervyn says he prayed for his life. Despite his injuries, he called out for help until passers-by came to his aid. He spent three months in the hospital and emerged determined to change course.

“I just wanted to turn my back on gangs and violence and make a positive impact,” he said.

From night school to university

After his recovery, Mervyn enrolled for a night school programme and matriculated in 2024, finishing top of his class. He is now a second-year information technology student at the University of South Africa.

He paid his school and university fees with his disability grant, admitting that some days he went to class hungry. “But I was determined to better my future,” he said.

Giving back to the youth

Still paralysed, Mervyn now dreams of opening a youth centre to help young people escape gangsterism and drug abuse. He wants others to ‘choose a better path’ than the one he once walked.

His full story appears in People’s Post, where journalists say it stands as a rare and powerful reminder that second chances are possible.

For more information, listen to People's Post journalist Kaylynne Bantom using the audio player below: