“They robbed me, moered me, tied me to a lamp post and left me for dead. That is when I decided I wanted to be the change and put people like them away.”
These are the words of a Cape Flats cop as he recalls the day his life changed for the better and he embarked on his career as a crimefighter, just days after winning a bursary to pursue his dream qualification.
Lyndall Ockhuis, 31, who became disabled last year when he fell through the roof of a Delft home while chasing a gunman, was named among five winners of the Cornerstone Institute Bursary Competition as his story of resilience won over the judges.
Lyndall, who grew up in Kuils River, is a member of the elite Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) and a firm believer in upholding law and order on the Cape Flats as he fearlessly fought skollies for nine years.
But the father of two says as he was a teenager, he was being groomed by the Americans gang.
“After school I wanted to study to be a diesel mechanic but the finances were not there,” he says.
“I found that my friends in Sarepta weren’t really around me anymore because they were financially sorted.
“So I started hanging out by the Americans gang and for me it was the respect and fitting in that drew me.
“I never took a tjappie but I was in their midst and listening to the stuff and drinking with them.
“I almost joined the gang but I started working and it was just ringe, the big earrings, the gold chains, the Vince Carters - that was the lifestyle among gangsters.”
But one morning while walking to the train station, Lyndall was approached by three skollies.
Thinking he was kwaai, he started to sabela but this nearly led to his death.
BLOW: Lyndell,31, of AGU broke ankles chasing skollies. Picture: Monique Duval
“I used gangster slang that did not work in my favour. They were 28 gang members.
“They robbed me, moered me, tied me to a lamp post and left me for dead. I had two broken ribs and was badly bruised.”
A woman passing by found him in his boxers and helped him.
He spent three days in
hospital and decided to turn his life around and joined the police.
He was stationed at Bellville SAPS and later joined Operation Combat, braving bullets as he took down
skollies.
In June 2018 while attending a shootout in Delft, Lyndall spotted a skollie on a roof.
The suspect started jumping over the roofs of homes but as Lyndall gave chase, he jumped onto a roof which gave way.
DREAM: Lyndall Ockhuis (centre) won a bursary with Cornerstone Institute and the Daily Voice.
“I hit the ground with both feet on the floor and heard the bones crack and I knew I was gone. The ambulance came and took off my boots and they confirmed I had shattered both ankles and both shins and I was disabled,” he recalls.
After undergoing various operations, Lyndall, was able to walk again but with crutches.
His dream of one day joining the Special Task Force was dashed as he can never run again.
He was later recruited into AGU and is now responsible for the administration work.
After slipping into a depression, he says his wife Mandy, 29, told him about the bursary competition and he decided to enter by telling his life story.
“There was spelfoute that I saw afterwards but I never expected to win,” he says.
“They granted me a full bursary to do a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Community Development and it will take me six years to complete.
“I hope to pursue a career in Social Crime Prevention to help our struggling youth.”