No good deed goes unpunished
Marko Hall is not letting his dark past influence who he is now. When his neighbours needed help, Marko came to their rescue.
“Unfortunately I can’t brag about my neighbours; I had three housebreakings in January alone,” said a woman from Lewisham.
The first time the burglars took bags, shoes, make-up and her hairdryer. During the third break-in one of her neighbours finally came to help.
“The thugs tried to get in, but we saw them first and started screaming. Marko came to help us.”
Marko Hall has a checkered past, but when he heard the woman and her daughter screaming, he immediately went to help them.
“He came and checked every room, under the beds and in the cupboards to make sure the intruders had left, and he helped us to secure a broken door. He gave us his number to call him whenever we needed him.”
Marko told News journalist Natasha Pretorius, that on Wednesday, 22 January, just past 11.30pm his dogs started barking and he heard screaming.
When he turned on the outside lights, the thugs ran away. He helped the women to barricade the front door, that had been broken down during the attempted burglary, with pieces of heavy furniture.
For many this would seem like an act of heroism, but Marko said he didn’t want recognition for doing the right thing.
Another neighbour posted their story on Facebook in an effort to help Marko. For the past few months he has been helping most of the people in his street in different ways, and doing some odd jobs for a little money.
Marko, who desperately needs a job, has been released from prison after serving a 24-year sentence. He said it is virtually impossible to find a job if you have a criminal record.
“During every job interview they ask about my criminal record and I can’t lie. That makes getting a job impossible,” Marko said.
He explained that he was released from prison in March last year and it has been an adjustment ever since.
When he started his sentence, his son was three years old and he was 24.
“Now my son is already 27 and has two children of his own.”
During his time in prison Marko attended every workshop he could. He is a qualified level-two chef and has five years experience as a dispatch and receiving manager. He can build or fix almost anything.
“The day I was sentenced was the day I decided to turn back to the light. I used my time in prison to change myself for the better.”
He explained that all he wanted was to enjoy the rest of his life with his family and be able to provide for himself and those he loves.
“I believe God put me on Earth for a reason and that reason is to help others, that is why I don’t say no when someone needs my help.”
The biggest problem he faces is being judged by others, and although he admits to having committed a terrible crime, he said he is a changed man.
The best moment for Marko was when he was allowed to walk out the prison gates again.
“Just to be able to go where you want, sleep when you want, eat when you want and shower when you want is amazing. In prison they tell you what to do every moment of every day.”
He admitted that during all those years in prison, he never became used to it and nothing ever improved.
“Some of the prisoners give up and do not care, but for those of us who dreamed about the day we would be free, every day was a struggle to survive.”
Marko said that all he needed is for someone to take a chance on him, to give him a job, so that he could look after himself and have the peaceful life he dreamed of for so many years.
