Joshwynn Wenke (26) left behind a life of gang involvement, crime and drug addiction to recover and become a mixed martial arts (MMA) coach and fighter.

Wenke became involved with drugs and gangs when he was only 15 years old. He grew up in Kensington, Johannesburg, and never knew his biological father.

His mother was a drug addict and was not capable of caring for him, so his grandmother adopted and raised him.

Wenke dropped out of school at the age of 17 after he stabbed one of his teachers with a knife.

“He wanted to do a drug test on me and I did not want it,” admitted Wenke.

He was imprisoned in the juvenile section of Sun City Correctional Services in Johannesburg. Upon his release from prison, he continued selling drugs such as crystal meth, Mandrax, weed and cat.

At that stage, Wenke was not using drugs himself because he was selling them. Wenke enjoyed MMA and karate and started karate when he was 10 years old.

He has always participated in some form of combat sport and enjoyed it. When he broke his hand while doing MMA and had to rest and recover, he became depressed, got bored and started using drugs.

“I smoked cat and crystal meth and needed money to support my drug habit, so I started committing house break-ins and robbing Uber drivers,” said Wenke.

He also started carrying out more tasks for the gang, called Varadecatel. Apart from house robberies and robbing people, he also had to shoot people, especially members of rival gangs.

Wenke was arrested for house robbery and sentenced to prison again. In the meantime, he met a girl. She became pregnant with his first child in 2021 while Wenke was still in prison.

“I was only supposed to be in prison for two years, but then Covid-19 hit in 2020 and the courts and everything else were closed, so I had to stay in prison longer,” said Wenke.

When he was released from prison, he tried to repair his relationship with his girlfriend for the sake of their daughter and got a job as a personal trainer at a gym.

However, he was still selling weed on the side and remained involved with the gang. Wenke was shot in the spine and had to spend a year in a wheelchair while recovering and learning to walk again.

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“At that point in my life, I was very angry and just wanted to shoot everyone.”

Wenke was arrested again in 2025 for armed robbery and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of R5 000.

After spending two months in jail, the gang paid the fine and Wenke was a free man again. He remained involved with the gang, selling drugs, and had to repay them by carrying out what he called “dirty deeds”.

He got shot again in January this year, this time in the shin.

“While I was in Helen Joseph Hospital, I feared that I would be killed by other gang members and I asked to go to rehab,” said Wenke.

“I realised that the gangster life is actually no life at all, only death. I saw so many people die from gun violence while I was living that lifestyle.”

Wenke eventually arrived at the Yahweh Rapha Rehabilitation Centre near Evander. He started the recovery programme there, but said he was full of pride and thought he was better than the other residents at the centre.

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“I ran away, but came back later and started the programme all over again.”

Wenke is now fully committed to his recovery and said he wants to restore his relationship with his grandparents and the rest of his family.

“They all wrote me off because they were scared of the lifestyle I was living as a gang member.”

His mother is now also free from drugs and he wants to rebuild his relationship with her, as well as with his five-year-old daughter.

“I realised that my grace was running out and I needed to change my life. I had an encounter with God. He has already restored so many things in my life.”

Wenke recently joined Dominators Den MMA Club in Secunda and has already won a fight in a competition.

He hopes to become a coach at Dominators Den when he completes the rehabilitation programme in November.

He thanked the owner of Dominators Den, Cedric Doyle, for giving him a chance to be part of the club.