
Prison Journalism: Letter to my mothersThabo Mthembu was incarcerated in Pollsmoor Prison from 2014 to 2019. Read Thabo's story
by Thabo Mthembu
17-05-2024 09:45
in Prison Journalism
prison journalism Image via pexels
Born in the 80s with many social and political changes happening and losing my father at the tender age of eight did not make things any easier. We were three in our household: Mother, elder sister, and me.
--
Gratitude to Mother and Sister I want to say thank you to Mother and Sister for everything. You both were the best two mothers a young man could ever have had growing up.
I was twenty-two when you tragically passed away. Yet, on my journey, I've felt your presence through different people from all walks of life, even when I was in prison.
Tribute to All Mothers Thank you to all mothers, women who, even with their own adversities and lives to live, still make time to help and have a positive impact on all those they encounter. Even if things may look bleak, know that you are a light for someone who may be on the verge of giving up on life. Don't stop being who you are because you are affecting more positive changes in other people's lives than you know.
--
Special Thanks I need to say thank you to Lisa, head of Restorative Justice, for being a ray of hope and guidance who actually saved me in many ways as a voice of reason.
To my sister, for being a mother, father, and best friend, thanks for never giving up on me and actually loving me. To Aunty G.P for guidance The list can go on and on, so I want to say thank you to all you mothers out there being that ray of hope.
Moving Forward My step forward is to now show my gratitude by the changes I make and the decisions I take in reaching my goals.
--
My prayer is that God blesses you by awakening those you come in contact with to become the change in the world that youth can actually use as a stepping stone to greatness. By your actions of being human, we can transcend to the heights of a great nation, even though we have made our mistakes.
DISCLAIMER: Submission published as received
Should you wish to assist in the rehabilitation of former inmates and help put money into the pockets of those who have struggled to earn a living during and after incarceration, click HERE
This project in collaboration with RESTORE currently works with formerly incarcerated young men in the communities.
If you have any questions you would like to ask our prison journalists, WhatsApp us on 060 011 0211.
Do you have contact with a prison inmate who would like to write for The South African website? If so, send an email to info@thesouthafrican.com or a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211.
You can also follow @TheSAnews on Twitter and The South African on Facebook to get the latest prison journalism articles
Looking to buy a good quality pre-owned vehicle, CLICK HERE!
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
07/08/2025
July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...
09/07/2025
WASHINGTON The NAB Leadership Foundation (NABLF) has announced the graduation of the 2025 Broadcast Leadership Training (BLT) class. The classs successful compl...
09/07/2025
Faced with rising costs, the proliferation digital services and the difficulty of managing many different subscriptions, two-thirds (66%) of consumers say they ...
09/07/2025
Daniel S. McCoy, a Production Sound Mixer and Sound Consultant for cinema, commercial and live events, has utilized DPA Microphones for over 25 years. In the ea...
09/07/2025
- A Celebration of Optical Excellence Uniting the Lens World's Leading Optical Minds -
CVP, one of Europe's leading resellers and providers of profe...
08/07/2025
In an era where digital threats to journalists are becoming increasingly aggressive and widespread, MediaSafe Africa launches as a vital online resource to help...
08/07/2025
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a fro...
08/07/2025
This summer, as the energy builds for one of the biggest moments in women's ...
08/07/2025
SBS strengthens commitment to inclusion with new commissioning guidelines
8 July, 2025
Media releases
SBS has launched new Commissioning Inclusion Guidelin...
08/07/2025
Secrets, Spies and Sabotage: 40 years on, SBS podcast investigates historic bomb...
08/07/2025
ATLANTA and CINCINNATI Gray Media and The E.W. Scripps Co. have agreed to swap television stations across five midsized and small markets, resulting in the crea...
08/07/2025
ALAMEDA, Calif. Clear-Com has announced new software updates to its Arcadia Central Station that enable connectivity across Clear-Com products as well as third-...
08/07/2025
PRINCETON, N.J. Triveni Digital has launched its NextGen TV Innovation Partnership Program, an initiative to support public broadcasters in their transition to ...
08/07/2025
WASHINGTON In response to a request by LPTV broadcaster HC2 that the Federal Communications Commission allow its stations to become datacasters using 5G broadca...
08/07/2025
As TV broadcasters shift from wary tire-kicking to increasingly enthusiastic adoption of AI technology, new ways of doing things are taking hold at lightning sp...
08/07/2025
Content personalization has been a hot topic ever since the emergence of niche cable networks and the VCR in the 1980s allowed consumers to access content geare...
08/07/2025
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and monetization at scale, announces that major French media group RMC BFM has selected Broadpeak's server-side ad insertio...
08/07/2025
MBS, a leading service integrator and managed gateway operator, has announced an agreement with SES to acquire a part of its media services in Germany and the U...
08/07/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr is applauding the passage of President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill and provision...
08/07/2025
SYDNEY RTS has announced that Channel 7 Sydney has deployed a new comms system from the intercom vendor as part of a larger ST-2110 upgrade....
08/07/2025
ATLANTA & CINCINNATI Gray Media, Inc. and The E.W. Scripps Company have entered into agreements to swap television stations across five mid-sized and small mark...
08/07/2025
UKTV today announces that Richard Watsham, Chief Creative Officer at UKTV and Global Director of Acquisitions for BBC Studios/UKTV, has decided to step down fro...
08/07/2025
Groundbreaking Gamecocks: Inside University of South Carolina's Four-Control...
08/07/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment's Samantha Brady on the Power of the RSN...
08/07/2025
Live From 2025 FIFA Club World Cup: FIFA, HBS Focus on Tournament Wrap, With an ...
08/07/2025
SVG Rewind: NESN Goes Behind the Scenes of 1975 Red Sox Retro Broadcast NESN is following up the retrocast with a week-long celebration of the Green Monster By...
08/07/2025
Back to All News
The Monster of Florence: The Four-Episode TV Series Directed b...
08/07/2025
Back to All News
Shooting of 53 Sundays, Cesc Gays New Project, Is Finished
Entertainment
08 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the f...
08/07/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. - July 8, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a reco...
08/07/2025
Arvato Systems Optimizes Customer Communication with AOK Niedersachsen
New project in the statutory health insurance sector
Arvato Systems and AOK Niedersach...
08/07/2025
On August 7, Apple Arcade is adding four exclusive games to its diverse catalogue of more than 200 fun games for players to enjoy, all free from ads and in-app ...
08/07/2025
Modern AI applications increasingly rely on models that combine huge parameter c...
07/07/2025
SBS Farewells Chair George Savvides AM
7 July, 2025
Media releases
Born of Greek Cypriot parents, Mr Savvides joined the SBS Board as Deputy Chair in Febru...
07/07/2025
Advanced vision solutions deliver more than reliable night vision for tactical-edge warfighters. Today's technological advances can provide the capability f...
07/07/2025
BALTIMORE Sinclair has named Narinder Sahai its executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective immediately....
07/07/2025
Riedel Communications today announced the launch of RefSuite, a powerful new Managed Technology solution tailored to professional sports workflows. RefSuite com...
07/07/2025
Regional base will foster client engagement, partner collaboration, and executive touchpoints
Skandha Media Services, a leading provider of cloud-native media ...
07/07/2025
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, announced its Against All Odds - ASG Builds Cutti...
07/07/2025
Agreement secured on the strength of Skandha's proven track record in delivering reliable managed services across the full content life cycle for existing h...
07/07/2025
** MEDIA ALERT **
VIZ Media Ignites AX 2025 with Star-Studded Panels, Exclus...
07/07/2025
Back to All News
The Long-Awaited Trailer is Here: Alice in Borderland' Se...
07/07/2025
Back to All News
Anime for Every Fan: Fueling a New Era of Global Storytelling
Entertainment
07 July 2025
GlobalUnited StatesJapan
Link copied to clipboard...
07/07/2025
1-2 Punch: The Cloud, Generative AI, and the Future of Sports-Content Distributi...
07/07/2025
Tests and decisions: Formula E host broadcaster Aurora on launching new AR graph...
07/07/2025
Building tension: Using new AR graphics for storytelling at the Formula E penult...
07/07/2025
Altitude Sports' Matt Krol on the Success of the RSN's In-Arena Postgame...
07/07/2025
SVG Rewind: Four NFL Clubs Bring Us on Set of Respective Media Day Shoots An in-depth conversation with 49ers Laura Johnson, Ravens Jay O'Brien, Las Vegas R...
07/07/2025
Cosm To Build Fifth Shared Reality Venue in Cleveland as Part of Bedrock's ...