FORMER prisoners are getting a chance to tell their stories.
Businessman and TV personality TT Mbha is bringing their journeys to the screen in a new docu-reality show called Mzansi Ex-Offenders.
The 45-year-old TT from Pimville in Soweto will host the show which will premiere on SABC2 on 23 March.
The 13-part series follows ex-convicts as they try to rebuild their lives, reconnect with their families and reclaim their place in society after serving their time.
"After Covid, I started a movement for men called Amatyma Brotherhood Circle, which is a wellness network for men and boys. A lot of men were facing mental wellness challenges but were not talking about them to anyone.
"They were not talking to their wives, their kids or their families. A lot of men suffer in silence in their own corners. While working with men through the movement, I realised another group of men also needed attention, those who were behind bars," he said.
TT said he realised those men had to make amends not just with their families but their communities as well.
"So, I started having conversations with fathers who were behind bars to understand why they committed the crimes they committed. But most importantly, I wanted to understand their relationship with their children while they are in prison and how it affects their families," he said.
The presenter said the show will explore their lives and help them.
"So, Mzansi Ex-Offenders really looks at the life of ex-offenders before prison, during prison and after prison. The first segment focuses on life before prison, their upbringing, childhood and what went wrong. The second segment focuses on life inside prison. What was the first night like? Were they intimidated? Did they join gangs? Did they get stabbed or raped in prison? Did they study or develop themselves while they were there?
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"The last segment focuses on life after prison and how they are trying to survive outside with the stigma of having a criminal record," he said.
He said reintegrating into society is often the most difficult part for former prisoners.
"When you're out of prison, people are scared of you. There's a stigma. You struggle to find a job and you can't easily start a business because you have a criminal record. Some of these guys even say life becomes so difficult outside that they would rather go back to prison because at least there they have food and shelter."
Through the show, TT said he hopes South Africans will reflect on crime and the challenges of rehabilitation.
"It's really an eye-opening show. It teaches us as a society not to judge people because at the end of the day it could happen to anyone.
"But at the same time we cannot condone crime either. We challenge them about the crimes they committed and ask them why they did it," TT added.
