Preston’s new face mask is emblazoned with the stars and stripes of the US flag.

While protecting him from the coronavirus, it would normally also put him in danger in Manenberg, one of a number of violent and poor neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa, known as the Cape Flats.

“They’d shoot me,” the 35-year-old says with what appears to be a smile, his eyes crinkling.

But today, he’s working side-by-side with other notorious gang members to deliver bread, flour and vegetables to poor families who are struggling during South Africa’s coronavirus lockdown, which has closed industries and left many in Manenberg without work.

Read the full AP story here.