Convicted Murderer turns Evangelist: Trevor Mwape's Story

Convicted Murderer turns Evangelist: Trevor Mwape's Story
Introduction
It is not often that 'free' people think about life behind bars and when they do, what first comes to mind are the deplorable living conditions in Zambian prisons. However, one seldom thinks about the inmates and what sort of people they are, their fears, needs and triumphs. It is not a secret that life in Zambian prisons is very hard for the inmates. There have been several media reports of crowded cells, shortage of bed spaces and inadequate food. These inadequacies have resulted into prisoners taking turns to go to bed in some prisons or even starvation in other prisons. In June, 2011, Trevor Mwape, a former prisoner, now turned evangelist, shared his life story at Chelston's "Our Heavenly Father' Catholic Church.
Trevor Mwape
Trevor was born in 1972 in Zambia's Copperbelt Province. He had 11 siblings. His family relocated to Northern Province in his early childhood where he completed his secondary education. His ambition was to join the Zambia Army. Meanwhile, his father preferred an engineering career for him. The different career preferences between father and son tore the two apart and eventually drove Trevor to run away from home. He went to live with his elder sister in Chingola on the Copperbelt.
Estrangement from family and becoming a paramilitary policeman
After secondary school Trevor attempted to join the Zambia Army. However, due to unforeseen circumstances he was not selected by the Army. Eventually, he joined the Zambia Police . His intention was to become an ordinary police officer. However, at the time the only available training in the service was paramilitary. He therefore enrolled for this training. After 2 years he graduated from the police academy at Lilayi in Lusaka and was employed as a paramilitary police officer by Zambia Police. His family, particularly his father, was not happy about Trevor's career and he didn't hide his disappointment after learning that his son was a policeman . Trevor therefore decided to cut ties with his father and mother.
Marriage
After serving as a policeman for sometime, Trevor took his leave. He planned to spend time with his elder sister in Chingola. He stopped over in Kitwe, on the way to Chingola, where he engaged in heavy drinking. During this time he became involved with a married woman whose legal husband was serving a jail sentence. After spending some days with this woman he continued his journey to Chingola promising to come back for her on his return trip. Trevor and this woman later travelled to Lusaka where they started living together as man and wife. Trevor had no clue that his wife was already married to a convicted criminal. He discovered this later from the woman's relatives. At this point it was too late for him to break off the relationship.
Drug Abuse and womanising
Trevor started abusing alcohol and marijuana while still at school. He used to drink and smoke heavily. This became worse after he got employed as a paramilitary officer. He also picked up prostitutes from night clubs. This behaviour continued even after his marriage. In order to support his drinking, smoking and illicit sex habits he often engaged in corrupt practices.
Career as Paramilitary Police Officer
Trevor was a very courageous police officer. Í had no fear...even guns did not scare me, ' he said as he shared his story at Chelston Parish. As a result of his courage he served in some of the specialised crime units within the police service and other government security wings. However, his corrupt tendencies continued and this resulted in his eventual demotion. He was reassigned to general police duties and later transferred to a rural posting.
Life at home
At home, life was extremely disorganised. Trevor and his wife had 1 child together, a boy. Trevor abused alcohol and often deserted his home sometimes for as long as two weeks. He used to spend time away from home with his girl friends. After his demotion Trevor was transferred to Mumbwa, a rural town. In Mumbwa, his wife became a Christian. She started praying for him and inviting pastors to their home so that they could assist her husband to change. However, Trevor was not ready to reform and in fact his drinking became worse.
Murder
One fateful day, Trevor started a fight with his wife after returning home at 02:00 hrs in the morning following a heavy drinking spree at the local Police Club in Mumbwa. He beat his wife excessively until she died. After realising that he had killed her, he left the house with the intention of committing suicide at his work place.
Arrest, conviction and sentencing
Trevor was arrested at his work place by his fellow police officers after a failed attempt to commit suicide. He was charged with murder. His family was deeply disappointed when they heard about Trevor's fate. His father said úmukulu tapusa akebo abusa kabwe'. This famous Bemba proverb means án elderly person will not miss the mark with words of wisdom but may miss the mark when he aims a stone at it.' Trevor was remanded in custody at Mukobeko Maximum Prison in Kabwe during trial. He was tried in Kabwe Magistrate Court and Lusaka's Supreme Court. He initially denied the murder charge. After several court appearances, he was eventually charged with murder and given the mandatory sentence for murder-hanging until pronounced dead. A defence lawyer however pleaded with the judge to reduce the sentence given that the accused was drunk when he committed the crime. Following this plea the sentence was reduced to 20 years with hard labour.
Life at Mukobeko Maximum Prison
After sentencing Trevor was imprisoned at Kabwe's Mukobeko Maximum Prison. According to Trevor life was very hard for him and other inmates. They often lacked adequate food and used to rely on help from well wishes especially a Catholic Jesuit Priest known as Fr. Ben Bowen. Fr. Bowen was a Prison Chaplain and he would often bring some 'good' food and medicines to the prison for inmates. According to Trevor food ( mainly nshima, beans and Kapenta) provided by the prison authorities was 'not well prepared'. He described his life in jail as 'hell' saying that 'some inmates died from various illnesses or starvation.' His family especially his parents visited him in prison. His father and mother both died while he was serving his sentence.
Becoming a Christian
During his early days in Prison, Trevor refused visits from Christians preferring to drink beer and smoke marijuana. However, during one encounter with a church elder who shared Is 1:13 with him he confessed his sins and surrendered his life to God. His faith in God helped in making life more bearable for him in prison. After becoming a Christian he confessed to killing his wife in court against the advice of his defence lawyer. He also stopped drinking and smoking marijuana.
While in prison he was involved in a terrible road traffic accident. He was admitted at the University Teaching Hospital (U.T.H) where he stayed for 9 months because of his critical medical condition. He was paralysed and could not walk without help. As a convicted criminal he had very few visitors while in hospital and often starved because of lack of food. He relied on prayer for strength and well wishers for food. After several months his mother visited him at hospital.
Transfer to Lusaka Central Prison (Chimbo-kaila)
Upon his discharge from U.T.H, Trevor was transferred from Mukobeko Prison to Chimbo-kaila in Lusaka. At Chimbo-kaila, he had to share a prison cell with more than 100 inmates. Again he relied on prayer for strength. While he was still in prison he learnt about the deaths of some of his brothers and sisters. Some of his siblings left behind children who were now destitute. Despite discouraging remarks from some fellow prisoners he did not give up his Christian beliefs. Instead grew stronger in faith and he helped to lead other inmates to Christ.Parole and freedomAfter Trevor had served his sentence for close to 10 years, President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa decided to use his presidential discretion to pardon some prisoners. Trevor did not think that he would be eligible for pardon. However, he prayed that he may be among the 824 prisoners that the Officer-in-Charge at Chimbo- kaila Prison said would have their sentences commuted from life sentences or receive absolute pardon. Trevor was anxiously waiting to hear his name on the day prison authorities announced the names of the prisoners to be released . After a long wait his name was called out. He was very excited that God had answered his prayer to be released. However, after walking to freedom he found that there was no one to receive him.His former mother-in-law in the company of other relatives to his murdered wife paid him a visit while he was behind bars. They told him that they had forgiven him for killing his wife. Trevor was grateful to them for forgiving him and thanked God. The family did not however bring Trevor's son along and they asked him to respect their decision to keep his son away from him.
Destitution
Life for Trevor after prison was not any easy. He was homeless. Initially he spent nights out in the cold at the Lusaka Inter-city Bus Terminal. Later, he was offered a job at a farm in Chisamba by a clergyman. He was responsible for herding cattle and working in a banana plantation. He was dismissed from this job a few months later and became homeless again. Eventually, he met a former convict, Kwacha Mvula, who provides assistance to former inmates. He stayed with him for a while and with his support Trevor secured accommodation in one of Lusaka's high density townships. He is staying with 5 dependents (his brothers and sisters). Together with others, he features on radio programmes called 'Turning Point' and Ífya nchitila Lesa' on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) radio 2 and 1 respectively. He has also become a full-time evangelist.
Conclusion
Trevor laments that there is a lot of stigmatisation against former convicts. It is not very easy to be re-integrated into main stream society after serving a prison sentence. It is extremely difficult to earn a living because most employers will not give a job to a former convict. He however said that he is comforted by the scripture that says that 'there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus' He urged Christians that attended the service where he shared his life story at Chelston Parish to 'put love first'. He also urged them to learn from his mistakes and to avoid indulging in alcohol and drug abuse because they could have dire consequences on someone's life.
Introduction
It is not often that 'free' people think about life behind bars and when they do, what first comes to mind are the deplorable living conditions in Zambian prisons. However, one seldom thinks about the inmates and what sort of people they are, their fears, needs and triumphs. It is not a secret that life in Zambian prisons is very hard for the inmates. There have been several media reports of crowded cells, shortage of bed spaces and inadequate food. These inadequacies have resulted into prisoners taking turns to go to bed in some prisons or even starvation in other prisons. In June, 2011, Trevor Mwape, a former prisoner, now turned evangelist, shared his life story at Chelston's "Our Heavenly Father' Catholic Church.
Trevor Mwape
Trevor was born in 1972 in Zambia's Copperbelt Province. He had 11 siblings. His family relocated to Northern Province in his early childhood where he completed his secondary education. His ambition was to join the Zambia Army. Meanwhile, his father preferred an engineering career for him. The different career preferences between father and son tore the two apart and eventually drove Trevor to run away from home. He went to live with his elder sister in Chingola on the Copperbelt.
Estrangement from family and becoming a paramilitary policeman
After secondary school Trevor attempted to join the Zambia Army. However, due to unforeseen circumstances he was not selected by the Army. Eventually, he joined the Zambia Police . His intention was to become an ordinary police officer. However, at the time the only available training in the service was paramilitary. He therefore enrolled for this training. After 2 years he graduated from the police academy at Lilayi in Lusaka and was employed as a paramilitary police officer by Zambia Police. His family, particularly his father, was not happy about Trevor's career and he didn't hide his disappointment after learning that his son was a policeman . Trevor therefore decided to cut ties with his father and mother.
Marriage
After serving as a policeman for sometime, Trevor took his leave. He planned to spend time with his elder sister in Chingola. He stopped over in Kitwe, on the way to Chingola, where he engaged in heavy drinking. During this time he became involved with a married woman whose legal husband was serving a jail sentence. After spending some days with this woman he continued his journey to Chingola promising to come back for her on his return trip. Trevor and this woman later travelled to Lusaka where they started living together as man and wife. Trevor had no clue that his wife was already married to a convicted criminal. He discovered this later from the woman's relatives. At this point it was too late for him to break off the relationship.
Drug Abuse and womanising
Trevor started abusing alcohol and marijuana while still at school. He used to drink and smoke heavily. This became worse after he got employed as a paramilitary officer. He also picked up prostitutes from night clubs. This behaviour continued even after his marriage. In order to support his drinking, smoking and illicit sex habits he often engaged in corrupt practices.
Career as Paramilitary Police Officer
Trevor was a very courageous police officer. Í had no fear...even guns did not scare me, ' he said as he shared his story at Chelston Parish. As a result of his courage he served in some of the specialised crime units within the police service and other government security wings. However, his corrupt tendencies continued and this resulted in his eventual demotion. He was reassigned to general police duties and later transferred to a rural posting.
Life at home
At home, life was extremely disorganised. Trevor and his wife had 1 child together, a boy. Trevor abused alcohol and often deserted his home sometimes for as long as two weeks. He used to spend time away from home with his girl friends. After his demotion Trevor was transferred to Mumbwa, a rural town. In Mumbwa, his wife became a Christian. She started praying for him and inviting pastors to their home so that they could assist her husband to change. However, Trevor was not ready to reform and in fact his drinking became worse.
Murder
One fateful day, Trevor started a fight with his wife after returning home at 02:00 hrs in the morning following a heavy drinking spree at the local Police Club in Mumbwa. He beat his wife excessively until she died. After realising that he had killed her, he left the house with the intention of committing suicide at his work place.
Arrest, conviction and sentencing
Trevor was arrested at his work place by his fellow police officers after a failed attempt to commit suicide. He was charged with murder. His family was deeply disappointed when they heard about Trevor's fate. His father said úmukulu tapusa akebo abusa kabwe'. This famous Bemba proverb means án elderly person will not miss the mark with words of wisdom but may miss the mark when he aims a stone at it.' Trevor was remanded in custody at Mukobeko Maximum Prison in Kabwe during trial. He was tried in Kabwe Magistrate Court and Lusaka's Supreme Court. He initially denied the murder charge. After several court appearances, he was eventually charged with murder and given the mandatory sentence for murder-hanging until pronounced dead. A defence lawyer however pleaded with the judge to reduce the sentence given that the accused was drunk when he committed the crime. Following this plea the sentence was reduced to 20 years with hard labour.
Life at Mukobeko Maximum Prison
After sentencing Trevor was imprisoned at Kabwe's Mukobeko Maximum Prison. According to Trevor life was very hard for him and other inmates. They often lacked adequate food and used to rely on help from well wishes especially a Catholic Jesuit Priest known as Fr. Ben Bowen. Fr. Bowen was a Prison Chaplain and he would often bring some 'good' food and medicines to the prison for inmates. According to Trevor food ( mainly nshima, beans and Kapenta) provided by the prison authorities was 'not well prepared'. He described his life in jail as 'hell' saying that 'some inmates died from various illnesses or starvation.' His family especially his parents visited him in prison. His father and mother both died while he was serving his sentence.
Becoming a Christian
During his early days in Prison, Trevor refused visits from Christians preferring to drink beer and smoke marijuana. However, during one encounter with a church elder who shared Is 1:13 with him he confessed his sins and surrendered his life to God. His faith in God helped in making life more bearable for him in prison. After becoming a Christian he confessed to killing his wife in court against the advice of his defence lawyer. He also stopped drinking and smoking marijuana.
While in prison he was involved in a terrible road traffic accident. He was admitted at the University Teaching Hospital (U.T.H) where he stayed for 9 months because of his critical medical condition. He was paralysed and could not walk without help. As a convicted criminal he had very few visitors while in hospital and often starved because of lack of food. He relied on prayer for strength and well wishers for food. After several months his mother visited him at hospital.
Transfer to Lusaka Central Prison (Chimbo-kaila)
Upon his discharge from U.T.H, Trevor was transferred from Mukobeko Prison to Chimbo-kaila in Lusaka. At Chimbo-kaila, he had to share a prison cell with more than 100 inmates. Again he relied on prayer for strength. While he was still in prison he learnt about the deaths of some of his brothers and sisters. Some of his siblings left behind children who were now destitute. Despite discouraging remarks from some fellow prisoners he did not give up his Christian beliefs. Instead grew stronger in faith and he helped to lead other inmates to Christ.Parole and freedomAfter Trevor had served his sentence for close to 10 years, President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa decided to use his presidential discretion to pardon some prisoners. Trevor did not think that he would be eligible for pardon. However, he prayed that he may be among the 824 prisoners that the Officer-in-Charge at Chimbo- kaila Prison said would have their sentences commuted from life sentences or receive absolute pardon. Trevor was anxiously waiting to hear his name on the day prison authorities announced the names of the prisoners to be released . After a long wait his name was called out. He was very excited that God had answered his prayer to be released. However, after walking to freedom he found that there was no one to receive him.His former mother-in-law in the company of other relatives to his murdered wife paid him a visit while he was behind bars. They told him that they had forgiven him for killing his wife. Trevor was grateful to them for forgiving him and thanked God. The family did not however bring Trevor's son along and they asked him to respect their decision to keep his son away from him.
Destitution
Life for Trevor after prison was not any easy. He was homeless. Initially he spent nights out in the cold at the Lusaka Inter-city Bus Terminal. Later, he was offered a job at a farm in Chisamba by a clergyman. He was responsible for herding cattle and working in a banana plantation. He was dismissed from this job a few months later and became homeless again. Eventually, he met a former convict, Kwacha Mvula, who provides assistance to former inmates. He stayed with him for a while and with his support Trevor secured accommodation in one of Lusaka's high density townships. He is staying with 5 dependents (his brothers and sisters). Together with others, he features on radio programmes called 'Turning Point' and Ífya nchitila Lesa' on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) radio 2 and 1 respectively. He has also become a full-time evangelist.
Conclusion
Trevor laments that there is a lot of stigmatisation against former convicts. It is not very easy to be re-integrated into main stream society after serving a prison sentence. It is extremely difficult to earn a living because most employers will not give a job to a former convict. He however said that he is comforted by the scripture that says that 'there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus' He urged Christians that attended the service where he shared his life story at Chelston Parish to 'put love first'. He also urged them to learn from his mistakes and to avoid indulging in alcohol and drug abuse because they could have dire consequences on someone's life.