The difference, however, was that Morapedi was behind bars for armed robbery for which he was convicted and sentenced to 38 years in 1993. He was 29-years-old. On the other hand, Mandela was jailed for his opposition to the inhuman apartheid system that was practiced by white settlers in South Africa, who made blacks second-class citizens while whites had all the benefits. Mandela went on to become South Africa's first black president in a new democratic dispensation after the apartheid system was ignominiously confined to the history dustbin.Morapedi has President Ian Khama to thank for granting him parole that cleared the 11 remaining years and he immediately embarked on turning a new leaf with his life.
And his efforts appear to be bearing fruits, as he is surely climbing the entrepreneurial ladder to success and is an envied member of the society. The message he now imparts to convicts is that the best time to reform is when one is still in prison and that faith in God made him the person he is today. "Acceptance of who you are and willingness to graduate from your anti-social ways enables one to reach greater heights. "The community here has accepted me and I am not embarrassed to declare that I am an ex- prisoner," he said.
