Ex-gangster’s redemption journey inspires Mokopane

MOKOPANE – From the age of six, Jacques du Toit (35) endured physical and emotional abuse at the hands of those closest to him. “My childhood was the perfect storm of trauma and abuse,” he said, a storm that would eventually pull him into the darkest corners of society.

Jacques shared his story with Bosveld, recounting his journey from Leeuwhof Prison to the ministry in Mokopane.

His story, told in his book ‘Hope in the Darkness: Redeemed and Unbroken’, shows a man who believes deeply that God can take a nobody and make him a somebody. “It’s a living example that through faith, anything is possible.”

Jacques has lived a life few survive.

Once a high-ranking member of South Africa’s notorious Numbers gangs, he was a repeat offender, a veteran of several prison sentences, and a long-time heroin and crystal meth addict.

Today, he is clean. He is a father reunited with his daughter, and he has rebuilt relationships with his family. Now, Jacques stands as a beacon of hope in the local community.

‘In Hope in the Darkness’, he chronicles his harrowing path, from an abusive childhood, to crime and satanism, and finally to salvation.

“For years, I was lost. I wanted somewhere to belong. I tried filling a void, never knowing God. I did everything – housebreak-in, drug and arms dealing, armed robbery, even attempted murder to feed the addiction that started when I was 13.”

Raised under the twisted expectation of becoming the “ultimate goat,” Jacques’s life spiralled rapidly.

By 16, he had overdosed three times on cocktails of heroin, tik (crystal meth), mandrax, crack cocaine and liquid ecstasy.

He cycled in and out of prisons, rising quickly through gang ranks. He was expelled from nearly every rehabilitation centre he entered, with no facility willing to take a chance on him.

The turning point came at his absolute lowest: the day he planned to end his life.

Instead, he encountered a group of community members from a local non-profit who introduced him to faith — and to hope.

That single moment sparked a long, painful but determined journey to rehabilitation.

Today, Jacques has been clean and sober for 16 months.

He has moved to Mokopane with a renewed purpose: to help those who are still suffering.

He spends his days feeding the homeless, speaking at schools, and ministering to people desperate for guidance. His message is clear: No one is too lost or too far gone.

His book is both a memoir and a self-help guide, offering practical tools for sobriety and encouragement for those trapped in cycles of abuse, trauma or addiction.

Jacques works closely with local non-profit organisations such as Touch of Helping Grace to support the broken and help them rebuild their lives through faith.

He is also running a “Secret Santa” Christmas project to bring joy to children affected by abuse and neglect. Donations, big or small, are welcomed.

Copies of Jacques’s book can be ordered directly from him. Contact: 079 501 8125 or send an e-mail to benjamindutoit732@gmail.com.

“Together, we can make a difference,” he concluded.