SEDIBENG.- Thabang Morapeli AKA Ryme Skili’m, a Hip Hop Artist and a motivational speaker’s songs, “I’m sorry Ma and Pantsi Na Phezulu”, which were recently uploaded on You Tube have been receiving a lot of admiration from his fans.

“I’m Sorry Ma” is the track that wins the heart of many, where he apologises to her mother for his wrongs as in 2011 Morapeli was convicted for a crime he had committed. He started composing music before his ten-year incarceration at Goedemoed Correctional Centre. Prior to his imprisonment, this young man says that he could not focus on music because he was distracted by negative things for which there was no one to blame but himself. He believes the prison sentence was a wake-up call and a blessing in disguise because that is where Ryme Skili’m was born.
“While behind bars music taught me many things such as patience and focusing on the task at hand.

“Life in prison was very tough because you need to stand up for yourself and make sound decisions. Such decisions should be premised on the admission that you wronged your victims and the society at large, and you stand to be corrected. In actual fact that is how you learn in prison, you also discover that prison itself is not the end of the world but a stepping stone to become a better person,” said Morapeli.

Morapeli would love to assist other inmates, parolees and probationers to achieve their dreams.
He pleaded with other ex-offenders who have walked the rehabilitation path to join forces with the Department of Correctional Service and other like-minded stakeholders and partners to ensure the success of DCS rehabilitation programmes. “We also need to take our experiences to schools and teach the young ones about the dangers of crime,” he concluded.