About the Book & Author
Not Child’s Play – A True Story of Survival in Mozambique
Overview
What would you do if your dream sailing trip turned into a nightmare of captivity?
In Not Child’s Play, Dave Muller recounts the extraordinary true story of how he, his wife Sandy, and their two young children were taken hostage by child soldiers during the height of Mozambique’s civil war. Their idyllic voyage aboard their yacht Arwen ended abruptly when they ran aground on what they thought was a safe stretch of coastline.
Instead, they were captured by armed RENAMO rebels—some no older than their own children.
Held in a guerrilla camp for 49 days, the family faced constant uncertainty, surrounded by violence, and yet found moments of grace, connection, and unexpected humanity in the most harrowing of places.
What the Book Explores
- Survival under extreme psychological and physical threat
- The innocence and tragedy of child soldiers
- The moral tension of faith when tested by suffering
- The bonds of family and the resilience of the human spirit
- The untold civilian experience of the Mozambique Civil War
How the Book Was Written
This memoir began as a diary—written during captivity. Those pages became the foundation for the book, offering readers a rare, unfiltered view into daily life under threat. Over the years, with support and encouragement, Dave transformed those notes, as well as other items such as the children’s homework books and drawings, into a deeply personal narrative of faith, fear, and resilience.
Front and back of the message we received via ICRC written on the back of a page from a booking form of the Hotel Pomene on which the Commander wrote his name.
Author of Not Child’s Play
Dave Muller is a retired South African architect, adventurer, and author. He is best known for his memoir Not Child’s Play, a gripping true story of how he and his family were taken hostage by child soldiers during the Mozambican civil war in 1990.
Through raw honesty and thoughtful reflection, Dave recounts not only their 49-day captivity, but also the emotional and spiritual journey that followed.
In 2020, he also contributed a short story titled “The First Age of Covid” to the anthology Lockdown Collection, published by NB Publishers.
A Life of Travel and Discovery
Travel has always been a defining part of Dave’s life. When their children were young, the family backpacked across Madagascar, Egypt, Turkey, and Greece. Later, he and Sandy would go on to explore over 29 countries together, including a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Antarctica.
One of his fondest memories?
“Crossing the Nile at sunrise with our children and cycling as a family to the Valley of the Kings.”
His children, Seth and Tammy, have inherited the travel bug and continue to explore the world on their own terms.
What Readers Say
Redemption of hostages in the Mozambique civil war
Paul Wickens - Amazon
How does one deal with a mixture of evil and good?
Pete - Amazon
“Beautifully written and unforgettable”
J. Barnard
Get Your Copy
Not Child’s Play is available as an eBook and audiobook. Proceeds go to the charity Hostage International
Frequently asked questions
Who captured you?
A group of child soldiers from the terrorist group called Renamo captured us.
At the time the socialist aligned Frelimo were fighting a civil war with the western supported Renamo. In effect, this was a proxy war between the east and the west. The war endured from 1977 till 1992. Our rescue required a cease-fire to come into effect. This was the first between the warring parties and provided sufficient trust between the parties to allow peace talks to commence two weeks after our release.
Where were you captured?
We were captured in central Mozambique, about 30km south of a group of islands called the Bazaruto Archipelago. We were then forced to walk south with our captors for about 70km to an area near Pomene.
Why were you there?
Other than, to gain sailing experience in preparation for a longer voyage, we were sailing to the Bazaruto Islands so that Sandy, my wife and a marine biologist, could investigate the possibility of undertaking future research work on molluscs near the islands. We ran aground in the middle of the night on a sand bar south of the islands and were waiting to refloat our yacht when we were captured by a group of boy soldiers from the Renamo terrorist group.