The Intervention: Memoirs Memoirs of Adventist Missionaries Imprisoned in Angola

By Burns Sibanda

‘THE Intervention is a factual account of how Adventist Church leaders in Angola were betrayed by one of their own after he failed to defraud the church. The book exposes naked corruption within the Angolan police and the justice system which led to the imprisonment and torture of innocent individuals. As one who participated in this real life drama, reading the manuscript touched raw emotions. Unbridled greed destroys organizations and governments leaving a trail of misery. Providential acts and ommissions at critical points by all characters involved make this an incredible story. The Apostle Peter wrote:
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trials you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” (1Peter 4:12-13)
I recommend wide circulation and readership of this book as a testimony of God’s intervention in our modern times.’
- Passmore Hachalinga ThD, DMin.
Former President of the North-Eastern Angola Union Mission of
Seventh-day Adventists, and a Fellow Prisoner of Pastor Burns Sibanda

‘The Intervention is a sombre firsthand account of how corruption, when left to thrive, affects all facets of society. The book exposes machiavellian processes in Angola then, and how the innocent and unsuspecting such as pastors are netted as victims in the web of corruption. The chronicles trace the trajectory of evil from one man’s love for money and power to enticing his family and law enforcement agents into his devious schemes. What makes this book a thriller is that the author is not ashamed to share his emotions with the reader.
I highly recommend this book not only for one’s spiritual edification but also for scholarly and policy engagements in Africa and beyond.’
- Sambulo Ndlovu PhD (Linguistics) Humboldt Research Fellow- Department of Anthropology and African Studies at Johannes Gutenberg-University-Mainz Germany, & Professor- Great Zimbabwe University, Zimbabwe

• Language: English
• Publisher: Burns Sibanda
• Release date: Nov 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005295202

Book preview

THE INTERVENTION

THE INTERVENTION

Memoirs of Adventist Missionaries Imprisoned in Angola

Burns M. Sibanda

Copyright © 2021 Burns M. Sibanda

Published by Burns M. Sibanda Publishing at Smashwords

First edition 2021

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the copyright holder.

The Author has made every effort to trace and acknowledge sources/resources/individuals. In the event that any images/information have been incorrectly attributed or credited, the Author will be pleased to rectify these omissions at the earliest opportunity.

Published by Burns M. Sibanda using Reach Publishers’ services,

P O Box 1384, Wandsbeck, South Africa, 3631

Edited by Tony van der Watt for Reach Publishers

Cover designed by Reach Publishers

Website: www.reachpublishers.org

E-mail: [e-mail]

Burns M. Sibanda

[e-mail]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

About The Author

1. Reflections

2. A Pastor Kidnapped

3. Interrogations by Police

4. First Imprisonment

5. A Sham Trial

6. Injustice and Impunity

7. With God in Prison

8. Countdown to Freedom

9. Free at Last

10. Acquitted

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Preface

Christians suffered brutal persecution at the behest of rulers and diverse priesthoods in centuries past. No less today, in certain religiously constricted countries. This is not to say, however, that Christians are totally free from persecution in nominally Christian countries and secular states which apply freedom of religion as a basic human right. The root of such adversity lies not so much in government policy or lack thereof, as in corrupt individuals, in both government service and the private sector, taking advantage of weak or defective state administration. These self-seeking vultures—there can be no better description of them—sometimes see in church organisations a soft target for their malfeasance because of the perceived gentleness of the clergy compared with the battle-hardened hierarchies of commercial and industrial corporations.

This personal narrative relates to just such a scenario, in which a would-be wrongdoer operating from within the ranks of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Angola seeks to extort a considerable sum of money from the church, and when thwarted in this plot, manages with the complicity of corrupt police and even a judge, to incarcerate the stewards of the church’s funds.

Imprisoned as they are in grim conditions, the pastors find in fellow-prisoners and some prison officials a level of human decency that their corrupt accusers lack. Importantly, and a valuable reason for the publication of their suffering, the jailed pastors retain their faith in God to intervene in their plight à la Paul in his incarceration. Ultimately if tardily the Supreme Court of Angola sustains their faith, and the Divine intervention that they and their loved ones and supporters had never lost sight of, is thereby manifested.

About The Author

Burns Musa Sibanda was born in a subsistence farming family in the Donsa area of Zimbabwe’s Midlands Province. He spent his early years tending the family’s livestock and attending the local village school, like most of his peers. A tragic accident robbed him of a dear mother when he was eleven years old. At age twelve, he left the village for higher primary education at Lower Gwelo Mission, a Seventh-day Adventist Mission station that was about a hundred kilometres from his village. A new world opened before him, a village boy, as he met and mingled with people from different cultures and languages. During school holidays he would, without fail, return to the village to take up his family chores. In 1977, he graduated from Solusi College (now Solusi University) with a diploma in Business Studies. He later went on to earn a Masters degree in Business Administration from Andrews University (USA).

Upon graduating from Solusi College, he accepted a clerical position in a large manufacturing company in the city of Bulawayo and then moved into the public sector in 1979. In 1983 he accepted a call to service in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, mainly in the area of Financial Administration in Zimbabwe. He was ordained into the ministry in 2007. In 2011 he was sent to Angola as a missionary, serving as Chief Financial Officer of the North Eastern Angola Union Mission. He continues to serve in Angola. The story of the pastors’ imprisonment in Angola is a modern-day testimony of God’s active involvement in the affairs of His Church.

- Chapter One -

Reflections

"—when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you."

Proverbs 1:27 ESV

The small courtroom was packed beyond capacity. Journalists were jostling for vantage positions for their cameras. December 29, 2017! The anticipation was palpable as this marked the end of a bizarre trial before a magistrate in Luanda, Angola. Our only crime was our resolute stand against a corruptly-concocted plot to extort money from the Church. We were falsely accused, corruptly condemned and illegally imprisoned. I was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. My co-defendants received sentences upward to five years and one month. To say we were horrified would be an understatement. For want of more suitable terminology, let us just say I was angry, terrified and totally dumbfounded. The emotional anguish was unbearable and it lingered for many weeks like a toothache that wouldn’t go away. At times it felt surreal, like I was trapped inside a bad dream unable to wake up.

I have heard incredible stories of innocent people locked away in prisons for months, even years on end. I had never imagined that this would happen to me until that day when I was led into a packed courtroom shackled to my colleague Pastor Passmore Hachalinga. I had been warned of this possibility but it had seemed too far-fetched for me to believe it could happen. This was now the fateful day! The presiding judge had made it clear throughout the trial that he had no intention of being a fair arbitrator of the facts.

The public prosecutor was just as perplexed as we were because his decision to withdraw charges for lack of evidence was totally ignored. This judge had on several occasions used the adage that every man has his price. The palpably tense atmosphere in the courtroom left no doubt in many minds that justice and reason had flown away. Only my faith in God sustained me during that dark hour. It crossed my mind that this was just a taste of the humiliation and rejection that my Lord endured on account of my sins. The facts had revealed that the crime had never occurred. We were powerless victims of a corrupt justice system—fish caught in a fisherman’s net. All our pleas of innocence fell on deaf ears.

This day was the culmination of a series of events over the years. However, what became clear in the days that followed the judgment is that God is involved in the affairs of humanity and that He is a God of truth and justice. A Zulu proverb says, "Icala lembula ingubo lingene. Literally, Crime will unexpectedly find its way inside your blankets"—meaning that crime does not respect anyone, not even the innocent. When the story of the alleged abduction began on October 29, 2015, no one ever imagined it would snowball to be the mountain that it became on December 29, 2017.

Once again, it became headline news in Angola and soon vibrated throughout the world. My family was shaken and confused as they tried to grapple with the reality of my imprisonment. The fact that I am able to tell this story is in itself a testimony to the power of the God of Heaven. He used men and women as angels to fulfil His purpose and to teach valuable lessons of His faithfulness in all circumstances of life. I can truly say that through it all, I have seen the hand of God at work in my life and in the business of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North Eastern Angola Union Mission (NEA), where I continue to serve as Financial Administrator.

The wise man said it all: "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps" (Proverbs 16:9 ESV). I can thankfully say that being a free man has now given me a new perspective on what it means to be both a disciple and a servant of Jesus Christ. I am reminded that when we suffer, it is not all about us but about God who has called us to service. God’s dealings often take a macrocosmic dimension; whereas human actions are usually microcosmic. Many times we miss the bigger picture.

The drama of my imprisonment involved seven other persons:

● Daniel Cem, Angolan national who was appointed to serve as President of Angola North Mission of Seventh-day Adventists (ANM), from 2010 to 2015. He alleged a kidnap that implicated the other seven of a plot to harm him.

● Passmore Hachalinga, Zambian national with many years of leadership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He was appointed as the President of NEA when it was organized in 2010; however, after his term in 2016 he took up another church assignment in South Africa. He was accused of defaming Daniel Cem.

● Teixeira Mateus Vinte, Angolan national who since 2010 served as the Executive Secretary of NEA. He was accused of being the author of the plot to kidnap Daniel Cem.

● Adão Dala Hebo, Angolan national who served as Chief Financial Officer of North Association from 2010 to 2015. At the time of his arrest, he was the Sabbath School Department Director at the NEA.

● João Alfredo Dala, Angolan national who was an active leader in the youth movement of the church at the time of his arrest and torture.

● Garcia Dala, Angolan national who served as an administrator at a college owned by Daniel Cem at the time of his arrest.

● João Sonhi, Angolan national working in government and serving as an elder of the Central Adventist Church in Luanda at the time of his arrest.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you."

Proverbs 1:5 ESV

I was born in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia). I grew up at a time of significant political unrest and at the height of African nationalism. However, my earliest memories are of a home in which the love of Jesus was celebrated and shared within and beyond. My mother passed away in a tragic accident when I was eleven years old. This left a lingering void in my life. Even though young, her death left me with a deep and aching longing for the promised resurrection at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Also, I am grateful that my father, together with my siblings, rallied around me.

My father desired a good education for his children, not having received a formal education himself. He was a strong advocate for Adventist education. He played a key role in the establishment of our local village church school and always encouraged us in our academic pursuits and was willing to sacrifice all his resources towards our education. He was a passionate evangelist, even as he worked the fields and cared for the livestock. He learnt how to read from his friends, and the Bible was his textbook of choice that he studied daily throughout his lifetime. His simple, though insightful understanding