Frans Tabane

Prison seemed an unlikely place for Frans Tabane to begin a new life

Adiploma in ministry and a future degree in business is just the start of Frans’ accomplishments. He is also a very well-liked and influential man.

If you want to meet him, though, you will have to make arrangements with Johannesburg Correctional Centre in South Africa. Frans is a convicted criminal serving time in the prison’s Centre of Excellence.

“My grandmother gave me lots of advice which I ignored,” Frans says. “She warned me about taking drugs and drinking alcohol, she also encouraged me to get a good education because then I could become a better person.

“I was having too much fun at the time to listen and my mind was not functioning properly because of all the drugs. My friends were also a bad influence at this time and I was not strong enough to say no to them.”

Frans became involved in home robbery and petty theft. He would join with gangs who would steal money, cell-phones and other valuables. Before long he was arrested and sentenced to prison.

“I am thankful to be in prison,” he says. “It is here that I began to know myself and it is here that I learnt about the Saviour Jesus Christ. A friend from ‘outside’ came to visit me and told me about Jesus Christ and how He took the punishment I deserved for my rebellion against God.

“I wanted to learn more, so I attended the prison church,” Frans continues. “Then I went to the morning and afternoon prayers so I could learn how to speak to God and I also began to read the Bible. The Bible says that ‘if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.’ Romans 10:9. So, I confessed all my sins to God, believed that Jesus Christ died for me and then I asked God for His forgiveness for my sins.”

Frans is amazed at the difference Jesus Christ has made in his life. Instead of being filled with anger and hatred, he is filled with the love of God and has a desire to help others both inside and outside of the prison.

“I often tell people that it was the Devil, the enemy of God, that used me and then left me at the gates of Johannesburg Prison,” Frans said. “It was Jesus Christ that came to the gate of the prison and rescued me, because I am one of His children and He loves me. Now, I am ‘the light of the world’ and with other Christians I must shine for Jesus and tell others what He has done for them.

“I thank God today that He has released me from bondage. I am grounded in the word of God and I thank Him for the privilege I have to serve Him. I love Him and will obey Him,” Frans concludes.