Reformed drug trafficker begs women to be cautious of envy
"I was never content. We weren't poor but I wanted the life my parents didn't afford to give me."
Former drug mule Lindiwe Mdlalose was lured into drug trafficking by her appetite for fast money and a life of luxury.
Mdlalose, now a motivational speaker, advised young women to be content with their achievements during a ‘Becoming a Jewel’ event hosted by the Young Lady You are a Jewel (YLYJ) NPO, in Wattville on September 23.
“I liked the life of glamour. Let’s learn to be content with what we have. Let’s stop envying our friends and neighbours and instead celebrate with them so that we could be blessed,” she said.
Born in Wattville but raised in Vosloorus, Mdlalose grew up in a Christian household where both her parents ensured they never went to bed hungry.
Dissatisfied with her life, especially when her career as a gospel artist failed to pick up, she became envious of her friends who seemed to be thriving in their lives, even though they were all struggling musicians.
“I asked them how is it their lives were so smooth when we were all struggling. They asked me if I was brave because what they were doing required bravery. I said yes, as long as I was going to make money.”
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She was then introduced into drug trafficking. After a successful tutorial and weeks of preparation, she smuggled her first consignment to Brazil in April 2008.
Although a once-off thing at first, the money was too good and it meant Mdlalose could finally afford the blissful life she had always envied.
She made more successful trips around the continent and the feared South-East Asia region, which has a rigid stance on drug trafficking.
But it all came down crashing for Mdlalose in April 2012 at an airport in Argentina. She was arrested but by sheer of luck, she only spent two years and three months in jail.
“2012 is a year I will never forget. It opened my eyes to understand that we ought to wait for God’s time. Quick cash is never a good way to do things. I was lucky I only spent just over two years while some of my sisters are serving longer sentences in jails in South America,” she said.
Mdlalose acknowledged that her discontentment and envy lured her into wrongdoing and she wants to use her second chance to assist young people to not fall into the same trap.
“God has a purpose for me. I want to motivate and ensure youngsters don’t fall into the same trap. It’s the reason I testified today about what God has done in my life.”
The event was attended by the community’s young and old as different speakers reflected on their life journeys.
The founder of YLYJ, Charlotte Masunyane, said they held the event to empower survivors of abuse to find healing.
Masunyane, a GBV survivor, said women often experience trauma but they don’t have safe spaces for healing.
“I’m a GBV survivor. I was raped as a child and young woman. I suffered rejection at home, was neglected by and suffered abuse at the hands of my parents. I tried to commit suicide four times but I’m still here.
“I want women to know they can go through tough times and find healing. A jewel goes through different phases until it becomes perfect. This is my story. I want other women to relate as well,” she said.
She said their long-term goal is to build a centre for women and survivors of GVB.
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