Serial robbery survivor finds release through solo exhibition
JOZI BLUES: Keabetswe Disemelo’s work is at Mzansi gallery in Joburg HELD up at gunpoint, robbed and mugged 10 times, Keabetswe Disemelo refused to be a victim. Instead, the 31-year-old from Johannesburg used these experiences to fuel his creativity and now he has produced nearly a dozen works of art for an unusual exhibition.
Titled Accused # One to Seven, Disemelo’s collection at the Mzansi Gallery in Melville tells the story of one of these incidents as seen through the eyes of a bystander, a victim and the criminals involved.
‘‘The art helps with the sanity. It’s therapy. It’s wonderful to have an outlet,” he said.
The collection is pegged on an incident that took place in October 2012 when the artist and his girlfriend were walking to a PostNet branch in Melville to have parcels couriered.
‘‘My girlfriend had saved up money for a desktop PC for her sister back home.”
The two were on their way to post the parcels containing the PC when a car appeared out of nowhere and one of three robbers came up to them. Holding a gun to their faces, he demanded they hand over everything they had, including the boxes.
Although the robbers sped off, Disemelo said he was able to run after the car to memorise the number plate.
Thanks to him, police were able to trace the owner, a woman who had no clue that her then boyfriend had been using her car during the commission of crime.
Earlier this year, two and half years after the robbery, Disemelo testified in court. In February, the investigating officer told him the
ARMED WITH ART: Keabetswe Disemelo suspects had been convicted and jailed for 30 years on multiple counts of armed robbery.
Disemelo said that going through the justice process had taught him that the SAPS had some dedicated officers.
Three of his illustrations detail how the robbery took place, either through his eyes, those of the culprits, or a bystander — a security guard who stood by watching and did nothing to help.
The other seven pieces tell the story of the line-up he had to attend to identify the culprits.
‘‘I especially remember the one guy’s face. He was funny looking. It stayed with me,” Disemelo said.
In his illustrations, the features of his characters are exaggerated, especially those of the robbers, who are all depicted wearing luxury brands.
‘‘The guys doing the robbing have nice clothes, one of them in Lacoste, another wearing a shirt and tie.
‘‘I depicted them this way because every time I’ve been robbed it’s been a guy in what society considers good threads,” he said.
The guys doing the robbing have nice clothes, one in Lacoste, another wearing a shirt and tie
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