Chapter 2...

Jaleels Story:
The first time I took something that was not mine was when I was 9 years old. I remember it like it was yesterday. And that was the start of things to come. I stole R5 from my auntie’s purse, while she was visiting us. I remember the thrill of opening her handbag, a big brown ugly thing, and finding the coins closely wrapped in a old hankychief. The old people always carried change like that, so that it would not make a noise and give the skelms any indication they had money on them. Auntie had about 10 R2 coins and 10 R1 coins in the hanky, but my thieving instincts had already taken root. If I took everything, she would know it was me, but if I took just 2 and 1, she would not notice. Auntie was rich – her husband worked for Tramways – he was a bus driver and everyone knew he was helping himself to some coins when the inspectors were not looking. That’s why Auntie always had coins with her. And that’s how my story started.
Growing up in the flats back in those days was hectic, my bru. We had to be on the lookout for the law all the time. As 12 year olds, me and my best friend Gakkie, used to steal where we could, when we could. Then he got caught one day, trying to rob the Shoprite, and ended up shooting a cashier. She had a weak heart and died more from the shock, but anyway, Gakkie cot 20 years and he and I ran a lekker racket on the inside at Pollsmoor. But in 1994, the game changed big time. Pagad was causing a lot of problems for the dealers and we all had a meeting in Cape Town. Ha! It was like real business meeting. We all drove to the Waterfront, and met in the hotel boardroom. People must have kakked themselves that day and if the Law was there, we would have been arrested all at once, like a Whitney Houston song! But the leaders were all there, and me, just 18 years old and a big chip on my shoulder, I was 2IC (2nd in charge) to the leader of the Naughty Boys – Jimmy ‘’Killer’’ Pawns. But today, the ouens had to put aside their differences. All the brasse was there..Mickey Blue Eyes, leader of the HL’s (Hard Livings), SKOENE Visagie, leader of the Americans, Gino ‘’Tanne’’, leader of the New Mongrels, and Sally, leader of the Velvet Girls and last, Richard Smith, leader of the Crazy Kids.
The problem was that PAGAD were taking out the dealers one by one, and all the gangs were losing money. Jimmy had a long talk planned but the other guys had other ideas, and eventually the meet turned into a shouting match, until Sally shouted ‘’STOP”. She told me to come forward. And did I shine that day. Those hardened criminals shut up, and listened to me! They were hanging on my words, on my lips, to every word I said. And did I give them the speech! Carol had prepped me well. Her drama classes taught me some eloquence, how to use words to capture an audience, but also, how to put on a show! By lunch time, the only person not on board was Mickey Blue Eyes, but already the tide had turned. We agreed an alliance, to fight the PAGAD boys on our turf, with a united front. And Mickey would lose out, maybe even more than just his turf. By 5pm we had a draft worked out, and I had the job! I was in charge of my first operation, and the hit was out on the PAGADleader – Boeta Gamieldien, or Boeta Achmat to his friends and enemies.