Written by: Gerda Potgieter
Article source: Supplied
The choices we make each day shape our future and influence the direction of our lives. Each of us faces choices and must bear the consequences that follow. Good decisions impart meaning to our lives, while poor choices can lead to destruction, affecting us and those around us. JJ Cheriswood Martin consciously chose to make positive life decisions to improve his situation, and he took action to turn his desire for change into reality.
JJ spent his formative years in Hanover Park, a vibrant yet challenging neighbourhood in Cape Town. From a young age, life was often tumultuous for him as he navigated the complexities of his upbringing. Raised primarily by his grandparents, he was enveloped in their care and nurturing, which provided him with essential support—food, shelter, and a semblance of stability. However, the absence of his father loomed large in his consciousness. His father, a Muslim man who had never married JJ’s mother, was a distant figure in his life, leaving a void that JJ felt acutely.
As he progressed through school, JJ often found himself surrounded by classmates who enjoyed the advantage of having their parents actively involved in their lives. This stark contrast triggered a storm of questions in his mind, instilling a longing and confusion about his familial situation. The constant ache of feeling unloved and unwanted weighed heavily on him, and by the time he turned 16, he found himself grappling with the harsh reality of addiction. To escape the persistent pain of his existence, he sank into a world of drugs, becoming a full-blown addict who struggled to cope with his emotional turmoil.
JJ recalled, “At one stage, I lived three lives simultaneously: my life at home, at school, and my life as a drug addict. It was exhausting because I had to keep the secret about my drug addiction. I was robbed at Hanover, which had an impact on me. My grandmother passed away when I was 19 years old, and my mother came back into my life after my grandmother passed away. But I told her that if she ever tells me again what to do, I will stab her and kill her.
“Drugs for me at age 19 was a rolling pattern, in and out of rehabilitation, at significant costs to my family. These centres manipulate our parents because it is all about money for them. The doctors gave me methadone, and I got hooked on the prescribed medicine. The methadone kept me going until my next fix. Eventually, I ended up on the streets. A pastor wanted to help me a few times, but I was not willing to be helped. In the meantime, I was in Grade 12 twice but failed and never finished it. Only my grandfather supported me then; the rest of the family rejected me, and I do not blame them now.
“A CYPSA group (the Concerned Young People of SA, a restoration program founded by the KwaSizabantu Mission) came to our community church, and the testimonies I heard made me think I needed to go there. In 2015, I went to the Malmesbury branch of the KwaSizabantu Mission. I first noticed the integration of black, white, and coloured people. I was not used to that. In the first week, I only observed. What I saw was that everybody was pleased. I started to look at everybody’s life, and I began to yearn for that. That Sunday, I watched a sermon by the late Rev Erlo Stegen, which they streamed back then. After the service, I went straight to Uncle George Oesh (a councillor at the Malmesbury branch of KwaSizabantu) and told him about my addictions and the problems I had. I told him all that went wrong in my life, and from then on, my life changed completely. I took this white man as my father, and I have never looked at colour in people since that day.
The water bottling plant at KwaSizabantu where JJ now works
“Restitution helped me to love my mother again and apologise to all I wronged – even to my mother for wanting to kill her! In 2019, a pastor bought me a ticket to go to KwaSizabantu in Kranskop (the main campus of the Mission). At first, I did not want to stay there because of the cultural differences. There were too many isiZulu-speaking men at the CYPSA restoration building at the time, and I did not want to be with them. However, in December 2019, I committed myself to the program. After I finished it successfully, I asked to start working in the gardens.
“This place gave me life. It showed me love and acceptance when even my own family rejected me. KwaSizabantu gave me back my dignity and even allowed me to study. They played a huge role in my life; they sat with me day and night. They gave me the best food and a decent job at the water bottling plant. I am a changed man and have my dignity back.”
Watch the life full interview with JJ in the Our Journey, Their Story series:
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Date published: 10/05/2025
Feature image: JJ Martin
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