“I wish to confess my sins before God and before all the affected people especially those who were giving birth at UTH during my service. If you were born in UTH between the years of 1983 and 1995 chances are your parents may not be your biological parents. I developed a habit of swapping newly born babies just for fun.”
Image Credit: Pixabay
So begins the confession of nurse Elizabeth Bwalya Mwewa, as reported by the Zambian Observer. Mwewa, who is dying of terminal cancer, estimates the number of babies she switched at around 5000.
“Take a good look at your siblings. If, for example, everyone is light and you are dark… you are that child and I am really sorry for that. I have caused many mothers to breastfeed children who are not theirs biologically. I don’t want to go to hell for that.”
Image Credit: Pixabay
The story is quite sensational, and it turns out that’s because it’s (probably) not true. First of all, for her claim to be true she would have had to swap a baby every day for 13 years – quite a feat for no one to notice.
Second, a preliminary investigation found no midwife by that name ever existing, and the picture that accompanied the article in the paper was of a Zimbabwean nurse now living in Ohio with a different name.
Local authorities will continue investigating the matter regardless, though they don’t expect to find any proof that the woman’s claims are real.
Image Credit: Pixabay
So, while Mwewa – whoever she really is – may not go to hell for swapping babies, she might want to get on repenting for the outlandish lies that sent a tidal wave of panic through thousands of families.
I imagine that’s gonna take a lot of Hail Marys to erase.
