I sat in the back of the police van, handcuffed, feeling a wave of regret wash over me. I knew something was wrong today. Allah tried to warn me, but I ignored the signs.

David, sitting beside me, looked calm, as if this wasn’t his first time in trouble. He turned to me and said, “Stay strong, my brother. This is the nature of the business.”

But I couldn’t stay strong. My life was flashing before my eyes—my family back in Malawi, my friends, my business. Everything was ruined.

When we arrived at the police station, we were separated. I was taken into a cold, empty room where an officer began questioning me.

“Mr Ali Daudi, a 28-year-old man from Malawi, what do you have to say for yourself?”

I stammered, “I…I made a mistake. I wasn’t thinking straight. I came to South Africa to run a business—not to become a criminal.”

The officer stared at me for a moment before saying, “You should have thought of that before getting involved with someone like David Fernando.”