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"From a criminal to a child of God"
My full names are Bweupe Mufuta Ernest, born of parents Bonaventure King
Bweupe and Phillipina Chilufya Mundubi bweupe on the 26th of October
1970.My father was a civil servant, lawyer by profession, and at the time of his
death, 19th April, 2001, he held the position of Deputy Chief Justice of our
nation’s judicial system. My mother, after marrying my late father, resigned
from her job to become a full time house wife. Truly, I come from a family that many would call fortunate and blessed,
but regrettably, I was one of the few, if any, that considered myself otherwise. Trouble for me begun in 1987, whilst doing my Tenth grade. I would not
describe myself to have been an intelligent student, but average and indeed
before this time, when, I was putting my mind to school work, my grades were
quite good. Late 1987, I begun slowly
and steadily to lose interest in what I should have been doing at the time (i.e.
school work) and begun getting entangled in things that I had no business
involving myself into. My eyes started opening up to pretty girls, begun
developing a thirst for been and later wanted to be in night clubs on every
weekends. Because of new-found behaviour, my grades at school begun a steady,
but quick downfall such that by the time I sat for my O Levels, I failed
miserably. Even English that I deceived myself came naturally. My late father tried with all he had to make me rewrite my exams, of
course by going through my last grade again. This was one thing that surely did
not appear to me. My old man tried, but sadly I proved to be a ‘hard nut’
for him to crack One time, he took me to see a headmaster of a certain school,
in the headmaster’s office; my old man explained the purpose of our visit. I
believe the headmaster having considered my father as a man of high standing in
society; he chose to over-look the many regulations that their school had to
consider before enrolling a student and simply said to my father to get me the
required uniform and a few other things. Now listen to this, in my little mind,
other desperate measures were taking root. I was thinking, if I don’t quickly
do anything, this man will manage to bind me to a desk, again, for another year.
I didn’t want this. So, right there, in the headmaster’s office, I begged to
be heard and quickly went on to say that I couldn’t make it at this school as
they only offered pure sciences and additional mathematics. I qualified it by
saying just ordinary sciences and maths, I couldn’t bear, what more this? My
father being one of that could quickly discern a lost cause, thanked the
astonished headmaster and excused himself. As we drove back home in
the car, he said to me “Well, you can force a horse to the river but you can
not force it to drink water” I’ve tried all I can, but now know that you are
all by yourself, do what you feel
is right” I didn’t know it outwardly, but inside I was leaping for joy shouting
free! Free! Free at last! I was shouting this even through I didn’t know what
I was being freed for! Months came, and Months went without getting started on anything. I was
just eating and sleeping in dad’s home. Months later, he came back to me and
offered me an opportunity, if I wanted to study automotive mechanics with zimco
Institute of Management. Everything paid for my loving father. I begun my mechanics course though without a lot of zeal as I quickly
developed a feeling that I deserved better and could do well elsewhere. I
believe the devil rose to the occasion and begun bringing me into contact with
people that would introduce me to a life of crime. Two major people Satan used
to open the door for me to a life of crime are a friend of mine I was with at a
boarding school and his elder brother I had known from a distance as a
prospering businessman. Really, the life style of these two men used to dazzle
me. They drove good cars, had cash, good clothes and were as uneducated as
myself. My friend would laugh about my effort to get an education saying it
wasn’t necessary, he would tell me about so many uneducated folk who had made
it big in life. After all, he would say, with the money, one would have
graduates running errands for him. The elder brother, on the other hand, would
want to behave superlatively to my getting an education though I could sense,
his unspoken words being: go ahead and waste your time while we make the money.
by the time you finish your education you will find we have finished the money
and every good thing in town. Well,
by God’s grace, I did sail through my first year and passed, however, when
time came to go into my second year, much of the filth that had entered me, had
taken root and I strongly believed I was wasting time going through college. Dad
gave me money to pay at school, but as foolishness was my lot, I drunk it off.
This blew dad’s fuse and he declared enough was enough. Instead of being
sorry, I rejoiced and thus begun my life of crime. It’s one lifestyle I thought was good and exciting as I observed it
from a distance but when I got in, its one that I quickly and painfully learnt
to be full of deceit and alternative-pumping, risking encounters. These men introduced me to a car racket syndicate; they had people that
would steal vehicles. They bought on give-away-prices and in turn, sell them
locally after working on them i.e changing the engine and chassis numbers and
sometimes painting the whole vehicle another colour. Within no time, we stopped
doing it locally but begun exporting them to neighbouring countries. Being in
partnership with the two men still felt uncomfortable as these guys were not
flying to heights I desired and also because I had come to know many other
criminals, I chose to leave them and stand alone; partnering only with those
that I felt could be of help in one way or the other, and at the end of our
deal, get my cut and split. This also wasn’t an easy task. With every passing
day, I was getting dipper and deeper into the ways that lead to death. With the passing of time, waiting on people to go and steal begun
proving to be difficult, as with others and would pay a down payment up-front to
enable them make their moves, and indeed get whatever was required. Very few
would honour their word and many even after they have stolen the vehicle, would
decide to sell it elsewhere where they would not suffer the loss of what was
paid up front. Because of such unreliable arrangements, it usually was difficult
to have a steady in flow of cars to satisfy the demand. Before long, Satan brought me into contact with people who desired to
begin using my vehicle, and me as the driver to armed robberies. At first, I was
hesitant as I realised this was way out of line for me, however, as the word of
god has rightly tabulated it, the love of money is the root cause of all evil. I
decided, I could handle it and get away with it unscathed. I got involved into
armed robberies, grabbing people’s cars all over the city. I begun also
handling stolen vehicles from neighbouring countries, bring them into the
country for sell. Many of my peers that were observing from a distance, admired
and some invoked the lifestyle I had. Yes, the money came, the clothes too and
indeed a few good cars here and there, but still not to my satisfaction because
surely, I was putting in too much effort and labour, but yielding very little
results. One thing I also didn’t realise was that even as satan was more and
more desire to get deeper and deeper, he was as well planning my destruction; he
can never be anyone’s friend, John 10:10. And indeed, this fateful day fell on the 27th of February
1996. Like any other ordinary field day, as it got to be, me and two other
colleagues of mine ganged up, armed in search of a Mitsubish Pajero, Al 4X4,
that a white South African friend of mine had got an order far from a certain
bank. Early that day, I began by dropping my little girl at school, dropped my
flashy looking van at a friends’ relatives place and got into the vehicle we
would use in the robbery one that
would never be traced back to us even though we had to quickly abandoned it
anywhere, should we anything go sour. Up until it was time for my girl to knock off we had not come across
anything that what our appetites so we quickly decide3d to pack our field car
got my van and quickly rushed to my daughter’s school, picked her up, and
drove her home. I decided not to
use the main gate so that I could drive into the yard, but simply packed by the
small gate so that I quickly drop
her off and then zoom off. I tell you this was achieved with much
difficulty, as the girl couldn’t seem to understand why I wanted it leave her
so soon. The little girl cried for me on this particular day and worse still,
the mother also was the least am used that I wasn’t staying for lunch and
especially that I had promised we would go visiting her aunt together and now I
was asking to go alone with a cab. Well, I ignored them both by putting my interests first, than theirs.
Within no time, we were back into our car that was geared for anything. It was
around 16:30-16:45 that we noticed a Toyota Land Cruiser pick up being driven a
cone man. We agreed to go for the same. As we took I quick him and followed it,
this unsuspecting driver took a two turns and packed before a closed gate, as he
waited for somebody to open it. We quickly blocked the rear of this vehicle,
with cars. For some reasons not well known, my friend with the gun failed to
make a fast exit from the vehicle so that he could be the first one to challenge
the unsuspecting driver. However, because of the delay, the driver must have
realised that there was something sinister and unusual about the car that was
packed right behind him, locking his way. As he sensed danger, he hastily got
out of the car to force his way through the closed gate and regrettably, in the
process, he did sustain a big cut on his forehead, when the gate swang back with
great force, in the process of forcing it to open, and hit him really hard. To
our amusement, however, the man left the vehicle running and assuming that it
might not have any security gadgets on it. I jumped into it. Within a pace of
seconds, I saw the driver of the vehicle I was trying to get away with reappear
through the gate with a fire arm in his hand , I came to learn later that this
man was actually a police officer, and a driver to a very senior government
official at the same time. A man number one went to my friend who at the time had his back to this
charging man. I sereamed aut to him, using words I do not even remember now but
whatever was said quickly put the message across, and I noticed my friend drive
into our car for cover. Nevertheless, I quickly discovered that the charging
police officer had no interest in others, but in mans Truly
the man attempting to drive away in his vehicle. As I desperately with
much panic begun reversing, I saw the man pointing his weapon at me and
immediately, I knew that the man was up to no games, but meant business. I
quickly lay on the seats, whilst pulling away, in my weak attempt to cover
myself from fire. On paper, this incident may sound as though it took place in
thirty minutes or an hours times, but all the life-threatening movement took
place in two-three minutes time! As this officer meant to demobilise me, and rightly so, as he attempted
to empty his gun on me, I heard a noisy click that said to me “the gun has
jammed!” ‘In my attempt to scare him off, I engaged into forward gear and
armed him, as though I would run over him, but he quickly got clear of me and as
I passed I heard the noisy click once again that again told me that the man had
tried to shoot the second time but the gun got jammed again! As I took off at
breakneck speed, I decided to take cover by taking the first corner, I could
seethe police officer giving chase on foot, believing he might stop me in some
way. As I quickly hit the cross roads, I decided to take a left turn so that I
could nicely be shielded from the bullets that would have begun pursuing me by a
wall fence. As I took the turn to
my right and I met a security van which was
heading for their office. They quickly took in what was going on, picked
up the injured officer and gave chase. As I looked in the rear view mirror, I
saw my friends take a different direction and I painfully realised that I was on
my own. As I took another corner, I realised with alarm and shock that the
vehicle actually did have an anti-hijack security system, when I heard a deep go
off. Behind me I had armed security men, giving chase; one with every reason to
want to beat the living day-lights out of me! Well, the vehicle electrical system out, giving me no power to continue
running. Worse still, I have never been one man who has looked over my body to
keep it in shape thus, the issue of jumping car to try and out run the others, I believe, could have simply
brought more harm than good to me. I simply gave up the fight. As I got out of
the car, I was ordered to lie down and as I obeyed I only remembered feeling the
first two or three kicks that came my way and suddenly everything just went into
slow motion and I begun hearing what was being said from a distance. I remember
hearing others saying ‘Thief’ and others ‘Let’s kill him’ and praise
God! From a short distance, I begun heaving a police risen that managed to
scatter the people. I felt somebody picking me up and indeed, with a lot of
willingness inside of me, was led to a police vehicle that was God sent to
rescue me from the angry mod that
desired to met out instant justice on me. Thus, begun my eight years and ten
months journey in prison. My family, my late father in particular, blamed my wrong acquaintances
for my actions. To some extent, he
was right but today, I strongly believe that we are all responsible for our own
actions-perhaps with the exception of cases were there is serious demon
possession. Peer pressure indeed is real but we all have the ability to either
go along with it or not. Like a dear sister in the Lord recently said to me,
life is about choices. I for one made wrong and terrible choices that made me
suffer painful and regrettable consequences for a number of years. I got into
prison with a perverted way of looking at things. This made me lift my eyes from
my own wrongs and begun feeling let down and bitter. Understanding that I went
to prison a pure pagan, one with no desire to know God, let alone hear anything
about him. Everything and anything on God was a rebuke to me, more especially that
I knew everything that could fro God would
require me to alter my way of life, and I didn’t want that!!. With the passing of time, I begun hearing those who would come into
prison as servants of the Lord, declare that the God they served had power to
release one from jail;ooh, I tell you that
was a hook that couldn’t miss me. All I wanted at this moment in time was to
GET OUT and sadly, continue in more and more crime! We would walk to the
fellowship whilst planning on how best we would go and
do crime, this time around and just after reaching the door to the place
people were gathered singing and praising God, we would quietly say ssh, to be
continued after fellowship. And surely, after the singing, the clapping and
dancing and indeed the shouting of amen’s, though that time I was doing it on
a law key, the moment we walked out we would pick up our story from where we
left it. Little did we know that ‘ God cannot be mocked’, whatever a man
sores, that he shall reap. Well, judgement day came and I was found guilty, sentenced to fifteen
years with hard labour. I appealed to the highest court in the land, but even
there the lower court decision was up held. My late father tried to have his dear son regain his freedom, God knows
he tried! Be that as it may, it only much later when I begun walking with the
Lord that I appreciated and thanked God that grace was not given to my father to
succeed in all his attempts because it would have only brought him much anguish
and pain as up until the year 2001 I still had the desire to walk the path of
crime. Prison life is tough. Real tough!! Both prisons that I had been to i.e
Lusaka Central Prison and Maximum Security Prison are not easy places to
be in. As for the Maximum Security Prison, this is one place the state brings
all the wickedly, crafty people, the law catches up with. The most violent, the
worst crooked and indeed people with all sorts of perverted ways of thinking.
But today, I thank God because through it all His serving Grace was over me. Beginning 2001, I begun my staggering walk in Christianity and praise
God, with the passing of time my walk begun establishing. God started showing me and doing things in my life that saw me rise to
the highest position of the church behind
bars, that of chairman for the prison fellowship. I continued to surrender
myself, and die to self on a daily basis, though, believe me, it wasn’t an
easy task. Many people and
circumstances in prison would want to pull you down. It also isn’t easy to
live for God in prison, but listen, IT IS not POSSIBLE!! What with the passing away of
my father whom I expected to move things for me, that I be released. His death
quickly left me with the realisation that only him I had to help. John 3:27
states that” a man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven.”
I begun trusting more and more on him. I am not saying that am perfect now, but
simply that as I begun to lean on
Him on a day to day basis, I found myself being weaned off the destruction ways
I thought were profitable. As the
Lord would have it, a year and three months before my sentence came to a close,
on 31st December, 2004 heaven sent me a new year present by
liberating and restoring me back to my loving family. I was released from prison
when I still had 6 years to complete.Even though I haven’t yet fully found my
feet, one thing I’ve come to understand is that all along satan has been after
the call of God on my life, Jeremiah 1:4, John 10:10, but I praise God that
Jesus never let satan have his way with me. |
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