Cape Town - Two former gangsters have turned to religion to change their lives and now want to inspire others to do the same.
Jonathan Cyster, 26, and Gershwin Barnard, 28, of Atlantis said their area was known for crime and gang-related activities.
They travel on the train to Cape Town and share their stories with commuters daily. Both men were involved in gangsterism when they were teenagers.
Barnard said he was in a gang when he was 14. “I did a lot of bad things. As a gangster I had to steal. One evening we broke into a police station and were later caught. I went to jail and got community service. I had to clean that very police station which I broke into. During my days of being a gangster I did not think about anyone but myself. I neglected my wife and children.
“Today I know what it means to be a father to my children. After deciding to stop using drugs and giving my heart to the Lord, I also started preaching with my friend Jonathan on the train. And have been doing it for the past two years,” he said.
The two train preachers are currently reaching out to other young gangsters in the community of Atlantis and helping them to leave gangsterism.
Barnard added: “In our community we have a lot of young people who are involved in gangs. Some do not know how to get out of it. These young boys grow up with gangsters being their only role models. But we tell them that they do not have to become gangsters.”