Breaking the Cycle: Ex-Cash-in-Transit Robber Leads Youth Away from Crime

• Shot during his last cash-in-transit robbery, Oscar Masiza had a life-changing moment that led to his transformation
• He endured horrific conditions, learning patience and control in a violent environment while planning a new path
• Speaking to Briefly News, the reformed robber now helps young people avoid crime through his NPC youth programme

He was the last person anyone would expect to change. A man known for cash-in-transit robberies, he was no stranger to danger, living on the edge and dodging death with every heist. But then something happened, something no one saw coming.

Born and raised in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, Oscar Masiza was caught in the dangerous world of cash-in-transit robberies, but everything changed after he got shot.

"I nearly died, but by God's grace, I survived," he recalled.

That bullet wasn’t just the end of his criminal career but the beginning of something much bigger. After being shot during his final job, Oscar found himself in prison for years.

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Surviving the brutality of prison

Sentenced to 30 years behind bars, Masiza spent decades in one of the harshest environments imaginable, seeing things that would break most people.

“Prison is a place I wouldn’t even wish on my worst enemy. It’s where the devil triumphs. I saw people being stabbed, killed, and abused,” he added.

Sharing a cell with 40 to 50 men, some of whom were gang members, Masiza learned to navigate the chaos without jeopardising his chances of parole. Those brutal years gave him one crucial thing: the discipline to turn his life around.

Saving the youth from crime

Fast forward to the present day, Masiza is destroying the cycle of crime he was once trapped in. He’s the mastermind behind Victory Through Christ Youth Project, an initiative that’s changing young lives across the Eastern Cape.

Masiza offers crime awareness sessions, life skills workshops, substance abuse support, and even anger management classes through his project. He doesn’t just talk the talk; he’s out there showing kids what’s at stake. He takes them straight to prison to see the blood, sweat, and tears of a life wasted on crime.

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“Seeing the harsh realities of prison changes them. They don’t want that life,” he said.

Masiza isn’t stopping there. He’s a motivational speaker, life coach, mentor, and HIV/AIDS facilitator, spreading his message of redemption everywhere he goes.

Looking at the future

Running such an ambitious project isn’t without challenges. Masiza faces stigma from those who doubt he’s truly reformed.

He envisions creating camps for boys and girls, vegetable gardens, and even a beadwork project to provide a fresh start for those who need it most.

Masiza is living proof that it's never too late to change, and he's determined to help others rewrite their stories.

3 more cash-in-transit heist stories

• A motorist recounted a terrifying experience witnessing a deadly cash-in-transit heist on the N11.
• DNA evidence led to the arrest of a cash-in-transit robber 13 years after the crime was committed.
• A recent N6 cash-in-transit heist has sparked serious security concerns in the Eastern Cape.

Source: Briefly News