This man spent nearly 30 years behind bars but has turned his life around and now hosts inspirational talks for youngsters, to help keep them on the straight and narrow.
For more than 28 years, the concrete jungle was home to former high-ranking 28s gangster Ebrahiem “Katjies” Appollis.
Originally from District Six, the 59-year-old was arrested and incarcerated in the 1970s following a spree of break-ins in Vredehoek, when he was just a teen.
By the age of 20, Appollis had found himself stuck between the vier hoeke, after being found guilty of 67 of the 100 break-in charges against him.
While serving his six years for this petty crime, Appollis says he decided to commit a murder to earn his rank in the mang.
“Prison life is very challenging. To survive there you have to make your name known,” he tells Daily Voice.
“I didn’t want to be known as a softy, to be someone’s wyfie, and I also have green eyes, so I didn’t want them to take me for a pop.
“So while serving for the break-in, me and my friend decided we were gonna take part in the initiation into the numbers gang and murder someone, so we did it.”
The two were found guilty and sentenced to be hanged at Pretoria Central Prison.
“It was like hell, as soon as you hear those keys at 6am, your world shakes because you don’t know if your name is on that paper for the 7am hanging,” Appollis says.
“Then they called my friend’s name. I cried for eight months, 23 days and 17 hours. While I waited there, they were appealing my sentence because I was still a juvenile under apartheid rules.
“I was 22 when they decided to pull back my death sentence but I was to serve 28 years in prison.”
In 1986 when he got back to Brandvlei Prison, his status in the 28s gang grew.
“I was known as the guy who survived the death sentence. I thought that was everything, I knew the rules of the number book from front to back, I was the bookkeeper, the one judging the rest of the bandiete, I had one of the highest ranks,” he recalls.
But he said God had other plans for him and he started to feel remorse for his crimes. His life changed 10 years before his release in 2017.
“I again found myself crying, [this time] because I started to find interest in my religion and I wanted to batcha [recite the Qur’an], but I couldn’t even.
“I thought what a waste of years in prison – 18 years – I knew everything but I didn’t know the truth, real knowledge and I didn’t have real wisdom,” he said.
“Another prisoner taught me how to pray and I haven’t looked back since.”
When he was released from jail, he decided to use his knowledge for the good of society.
Appollis, who now lives in Mitchells Plain, hosts inspirational talks for youth and teaches arts and crafts classes in underprivileged areas.
“I just want them to take it from me. Use me as a mirror. You don’t want to end up in prison.
“I am almost 60 years old and I don’t have a house, a wife, nothing, all because of decisions I made back then,” Appollis concluded.
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za