The Message Trust has been working in prisons and gang-ridden communities for many years, seeing young people with criminal records struggling to get employment because of their pasts which led to the birth of Gangstar Café.
The Gangstar Cafe helps former inmates by offering hands-on training employment, hands-on training and support through a job-readiness programme. The trainees learn the importance of ensuring that processes and standards are followed and transferred into all areas of employment. They have two branches in Cape Town and is a Christ-centred enterprise. They are not only taught how to make good coffee but they also teach biblical principles through devotions, bible studies and other bible-based modules.
“I grew up in Samora, Cape Town, where I spent my youth as a part of a gang. We would smoke drugs and abuse alcohol, to the point where I was unrecognizable, even to myself. I was arrested for being in possession of a firearm. After nine months in prison, I made some critical life decisions that altered where I was heading. The main one was accepting Jesus as my personal saviour” said Xola Dingiswayo, Former Inmate. He said when he started working at Gangstar Café, he did not have much knowledge about coffee but worked his way up and is now a junior manager at the Mowbray branch. He plans to improve his Barista skills in order to compete in barista competitions in 2021.
They also have a delivery service and a Gangstar road star bike which they use to run errands.
