Imagine going to sleep in the comfort of your own bed, having it all and the next day, you are in a prison cell. That’s a story this woman knows all too well, who is she you say? This is the phenomenal, Morwesi Theledi. She is a mother, actress, entrepreneur and speaker amongst many other things.
Morwesi grew up in Dube, Soweto. “I grew up as a Tom Boy, my friends were boys. We played soccer, we played with roller blades and bicycles, that was the set up”, she says. After high school, she decided to study journalism. Morwesi felt the pressure of finding a job after graduating when her mother lost her job. Little did she know that on the other end, the banking industry was calling her name. It called and she responded and she landed a job as a bank teller. As one who is not foreign to hard work, she worked her way up to becoming a supervisor.
“I was then approached by two of my regular customers to defraud the bank”
Things were looking up for the determined young woman, her hard work was paying off. “I was then approached by two of my regular customers to defraud the bank”, she says. Like a man setting a trap for his prey, these men had their plan in motion prior to their extravagant request. This was in the form of leaving tips and vouchers for her each time they visited the bank. As her regular trusted customers, Morwesi took them and didn’t think much of it. “The bank policy clearly states that we should not accept any tips. I was young, I was naive I guess. To be honest, I trusted them”, she says.
To top it off, their request was accompanied by threats that compromised the safety of her family members. “My last threat was on the 24th of December 2009. They were outside my house, looking at my child playing. They called me and said if I didn’t transfer the funds on that day something bad will happen to my child”, she says. For the young mother, losing her child was not an option. She went ahead and fulfilled their request which was transferring 2.7 million from one account to another. Guilt, fear, anxiety, a combination of different emotions which she didn’t even know what to call was what she felt at that moment. “After an hour I felt bad, I went back to the system and added a zero so that the account would freeze and they wouldn’t receive the funds, remember I was not thinking straight at the time”, she says.
Although the men didn’t receive the money, the consequences of her actions were dire. The walls felt as though they were closing in on her as the now pregnant Morwesi, was convicted of fraud and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Her son who was born in prison was later taken by her family to be raised by them. “I said, God how am I going to serve my ten year sentence? Guide me, lead me, I want to come out a better person”, she says. That was the turning moment for her. Her situation was painful but Morwesi was determined to use her time in prison to better herself.
Morwesi took advantage of all the programs that were made available to them in prison. She studied business management with the University of Johannesburg. She was involved in debate, public speaking and even drama groups. With no acting background, she got the lead role in a drama piece. This opened doors as she got the opportunity to travel the country performing the drama piece as well as competing with different prisons. Her talent was recognized as she received the award for best actress and best public speaker. All the things which she didn’t know were bottled inside of her until she got to prison.
Patience is one of the values she has learnt in prison and still applies to her life today. “It is important to be comfortable with your life. Happiness, achievements, goals and successes are not attached to material things. Still holding that award of best actress, I still had nothing in prison only my prison clothes”, she passionately says.
This woman is the founder of Ugqozi Solutions. A business idea which was born in prison. “The name ‘Ugqozi’ means inspiration”, she proudly says. “I decided to go back to the banking industry and bring a solution to a problem that is there. I also fell into that problem and I am the solution. I go to the company, inspire the employees, I bring a solution to the company and I leave value”, she says. The business primarily deals with corruption, theft, bribery and fraud in the workplace and is currently servicing major banks and companies around the country.
“My 10 year sentence was a blessing in disguise”, she shares. She says her faith and connection with God grew deeper in prison. She lives by a saying rooted in faith “speak it, it shall happen”. Today, with a big smile on her face, Morwesi is witnessing the fruits of everything she was speaking in faith while in prison. ;She has achieved a lot for herself and mentions that one of her highlights was being part of the Top 100 most influential people In South South List in 2016.
She concludes the interview with these final words, “Go for your dreams, for whatever you want, because tommorow is not guaranteed, we live for today”.
