Hastings Banda

Last updated

Hastings Kamuzu Banda
Dr HK Banda, first president of Malawi.jpg
1st President of Malawi
In office
6 July 1966 24 May 1994

In 1964, after serving as a government minister in the colonial administration, Banda adopted a macroeconomic policy aimed at accelerating economic development for the betterment of Malawians. He settled on the Rostow model of "catch up" economics, wherein Malawi would vigorously pursue import substitution industrialisation (ISI). This entailed both a quest for "self-sufficiency" for Malawi – becoming less reliant on its former colonial master – and growth of an industrial base that could ensure Malawi was capable of producing its own goods and services. Such capacity would then be used to catch up and even overtake the West. An infrastructure development program was initiated under the Development Policies (DEVPOLs) documents that Malawi adopted from 1964 onwards. Much of this development was funded through the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation, a Government-owned corporation or parastatal formed to promote the Malawian economy by increasing the volume of agricultural exports and to develop new foreign markets for Malawian agricultural produce. At its foundation, ADMARC was given the power to finance the economic development of any public or private organisation. From its formation it was involved in the diversion of resources from smallholder farming to tobacco estates, often owned by members of the ruling elite. This led to corruption, abuse of office and inefficiency in ADMARC,

The country's infrastructure benefited through massive road construction programs. With the decision to shift the capital city from Zomba to Lilongwe (against vociferous objections from the British preference for the economically healthy and well-developed Blantyre), a new road was built linking Blantyre and Zomba to Lilongwe. The Capital City Development Corporation (CCDC) in Lilongwe was itself a beehive of infrastructure development, supported by planning and funds from apartheid-era South Africa. The British refused to finance the move to Lilongwe. The CCDC became the sole development agent for Lilongwe; putting up roads, the government seat at Capital Hill, etc. Other infrastructure entities were added, such as Malawi Hotels Limited, which undertook massive projects such as the Mount Soche, Capital Hotel and Mzuzu Hotel. On the industrial side, Malawi Development Corporation (MDC) was tasked with setting up industries and other businesses. Meanwhile, Dr. Banda's own Press Corporation Limited and MYP's Spearhead Corporation embarked on business initiatives that lead to an economic boom during the mid- to late 1970s.

However, by 1979–1980, the bubble had burst due to the global economic crisis set in motion by the Yom Kippur War between Israel and the Arabs in 1973. Rising oil prices and falling global commodity prices combined to wreak havoc on a fragile and landlocked Malawian economy based on an insular and indefensible ISI macroeconomic strategy. Increasingly, the economy was rearranged into a political tool to serve the consumption needs of the emerging Malawian middle-class and thus render it less prone to revolution.

Banda personally founded Kamuzu Academy, a school modeled on Eton, at which Malawian children were taught Latin and Greek by expatriate classics teachers, and disciplined if they were caught speaking Chichewa. [52] Many of the school's alumni have assumed leadership roles in medicine, academia and business in Malawi and abroad. The school remains one of Banda's most lasting legacies and he said of it: "I did not wish my sons and daughters to have to travel abroad to obtain an education as I did." It is claimed, probably incorrectly and unfairly, that he spent almost all the country's education budget on this project, [53] while increasingly ignoring the needs and welfare of the greater majority [80%] of Malawians toiling in the rural areas. The National Rural Development Program and Rural Growth Centers were tentative and belated policies aimed at diverting rural populations from moving to the few urban areas which Banda's ISI macroeconomic policies had created and were now being battered by the arrival of more and more rural people seeking better opportunities.

Eventually, with the collapse of the Cold War, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund arrived, imposing a series of Structural Adjustment Programs [54] from 1987.

Wealth

It is believed that during his rule, Banda accumulated at least US$320 million in personal assets, [55] thought to be invested in everything from agriculture to mining interests in South Africa.

Personal life

Banda had no known heirs but had a vast fortune that is run by his family. [55] He was unmarried when he died. Cecilia Kadzamira was the official hostess or first lady of Malawi. [55] She essentially ruled the country with her uncle, John Tembo, during Banda's last years.

His affair and relationship with Merene French remains largely a mystery. He had rejected companionship and marriage and turned his back on the Englishwoman who extramaritally bore his son. [17] [56] In 2010, Jumani Johansson (1973–2019) claimed to be the son of the late president and was seeking DNA testing through the courts of Malawi. [57] Grand niece Jane Dzanjalimodzi was the former executrix of his estate. [57]

Death

Banda suffered from heart failure for several years. In 1997, he was admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Blantyre before being transferred to South Africa, where he died on 25 November 1997. His funeral took place on 3 December, with several African heads of state in attendance. [58] [59]

Awards and honors

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malawi</span> Country in Southeastern Africa

Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi and formerly known as Nyasaland, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over 118,484 km2 (45,747 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 21,240,689. Malawi's capital and largest city is Lilongwe. Its second largest is Blantyre, its third largest is Mzuzu, and its fourth largest is Zomba, the former capital.

The history of Malawi covers the area of present-day Malawi. The region was once part of the Maravi Empire. In colonial times, the territory was ruled by the British, under whose control it was known first as British Central Africa and later Nyasaland. It becomes part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The country achieved full independence, as Malawi, in 1964. After independence, Malawi was ruled as a one-party state under Hastings Banda until 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bakili Muluzi</span> President of Malawi from 1994 to 2004

Elson Bakili Muluzi is a Malawian politician who was President of Malawi from 1994 to 2004. He was also chairman of the United Democratic Front (UDF) until 2009. He succeeded Hastings Kamuzu Banda as Malawi's president. He also served in Banda's cabinet as minister without portfolio, before retiring in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malawi Congress Party</span> Political party in Malawi

The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is a political party in Malawi. It was formed as a successor party to the banned Nyasaland African Congress when the country, then known as Nyasaland, was under British rule. The MCP, under Hastings Banda, presided over Malawian independence in 1964, and from 1966 to 1993 was the only legal party in the country. It has continued to be a major force in the country since losing power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Tembo</span> Malawian politician (1932–2023)

John Zenus Ungapake Tembo was a Malawian politician who served for years as President of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP). Tembo comes from the Dedza District in central Malawi, and he was a teacher by profession. Beginning in the 1960s he was an important politician in Malawi, and he was a key figure in the regime of Hastings Banda (1964–1994). He has been variously described as "physically slight, ascetic, fastidious" and "cunning". He was replaced as President of the MCP in August 2013.

Yatuta Chisiza was a Malawi minister of home affairs who led a brief guerrilla incursion into the country in October 1967. He is considered one of the most important figures in pre and post colonial politics in Malawi.

Chakufwa Chihana was a Malawian human rights activist, pro-democracy advocate, trade unionist and later, politician. He held the post of Second Vice President in Malawi, under President Bakili Muluzi. He is often called the 'father of Malawian democracy'. He served as leader of Malawi's first underground political movement, which urged President Hastings Kamuzu Banda, who had ruled for three decades, to call for a referendum on political pluralism. He was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in 1992.

Henry Masauko Blasius Chipembere was a Malawian nationalist politician who played a significant role in bringing independence from colonial rule to his native country, formerly known as Nyasaland. From an early age Chipembere was a strong believer in natural justice and, on his return in 1954 from university in South Africa, he joined his country's independence struggle as a nationalist strategist and spokesman. In 1957, considering that the independence movement needed a strong leader similar to Kwame Nkrumah, and considering himself too young for this task, he joined with other young nationalists in inviting Hastings Kamuzu Banda to return to Nyasaland as the movement's leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malawi–South Africa relations</span> Bilateral relations

Malawian-South African relations refers to the bilateral relationship between Malawi and South Africa. South Africa's first formal relationship with an independent African country was established with Malawi, beginning in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cecilia Kadzamira</span>

Cecilia Tamanda Kadzamira, GCVO was the official hostess of Malawi during the reign of president Hastings Banda. Whilst she and Banda were not officially married, she served as the first lady or official hostess for several years. For several years, she was the most powerful woman in Malawi. Kadzamira is referred to as "Mama" or "Mother of the Nation".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orton Chirwa</span> Malawian politician (1919–1992)

Orton Chirwa was a lawyer and political leader in colonial Nyasaland and after independence became Malawi's Minister of Justice and Attorney General. After a dispute with Malawi's autocratic President Hastings Kamuzu Banda, he and his wife Vera were exiled. After being kidnapped abroad they were tried in Malawi on charges of treason and sentenced to death. Amnesty International named the couple prisoners of conscience. After spending nearly eleven years on death row in Malawi, Orton Chirwa died in prison on 20 October 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Frederick Sangala</span> Nyasaland politician

James Frederick Sangala was a founding member of the Nyasaland African Congress during the period of British colonial rule. Sangala was given the nickname "Pyagusi", which means "one who perseveres".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose Chibambo</span> Malawian politician

Rose Lomathinda Chibambo was a prominent politician in the British Protectorate of Nyasaland in the years leading up to independence as the state of Malawi in 1964, and immediately after.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percy Kachipande</span> Malawian politician, diplomat (born 1944)

Safiel Percy Kachipande is a Malawian politician and former diplomat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malawian Defence Force</span> Military force of Malawi

The Malawi Defence Force is the state military organisation responsible for defending Malawi. It originated from elements of the British King's African Rifles, colonial units formed before independence in 1964.

Willie Chokani, who was born in Malawi, then called Nyasaland, in 1930, and had a variety of careers; as a teacher, a politician and a diplomat. He has also spent time in prison and was exiled from Malawi for almost 30 years after a confrontation with Hastings Banda, the first Prime Minister of the independent Malawi, in 1964. Chokani received a secondary education, which enabled him to attend university in Delhi and obtain teaching qualifications. He returned to Nyasaland in 1957 to become the first African headmaster in the protectorate, and was also politically active in the Nyasaland African Congress, campaigning for the end of colonial rule. In March 1959, a State of emergency was declared, and Chokani was arrested as a leading Congress member and detained until 1960. On his release, he joined the Malawi Congress Party and in 1961 was elected to the Legislative Council, becoming Minister of Labour in 1962. In 1964, there was a confrontation between Banda and most of his ministers, which led to the sacking of three cabinet members in September 1964. Chokani and two other cabinet ministers resigned in sympathy, and although Banda was willingness to re-instate Chokani and one or two other ministers, their insistence on all be reinstated ended any hope of a reconciliation. Chokani left Malawi for Zambia, where he resumed teaching, and was active in Malawian exile politics. He returned to Malawi in 1993, and in 1994 became Malawi's ambassador to the USA, later holding other diplomatic posts until his retirement. .

LaurenceMakata, (1916–1962), was a businessman influential in the Nyasaland independence movement in the 1950s and 1960s.

Hastings Banda, the first President of Malawi, died on 25 November 1997 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Thousands of Malawians gathered in Lilongwe to bury the president. The funeral took over four hours at the State House followed by a speech of the president, Bakili Muluzi. Muluzi's speech was accompanied by religious ceremonies attended by African heads of states, notably President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, with his vice-president, Joshua Nkomo, and Botswanan President Quett Masire. In his eulogy, Muluzi said that sorrows had surrounded the country as it had lost one of the most powerful leaders in its history. Tananga Cecilia Kadzamira, Banda's long-time companion, among other relatives were the first to lay their wreaths on the president's grave. Banda was given different heroic names such as the Conqueror, and the Messiah.

Lynold Chakakala Chaziya is a Malawian statesman, economist, and politician who served as the Minister of Finance and the Central Bank/Reserve Bank of Malawi Governor under Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda's MCP regime and also served as Board Chairperson of various parastatals/government agencies like OILCOM, Limbe Leaf Tobacco Limited and various others. Born on 31st March, 1947, with his first wife Anne Kafaaiwala he had three children Lawrence, Geoffrey and Lynold Jr. At the dawn of multi-party democracy in 1992 he came together with other former cabinet ministers of Dr. Banda's era like Elson Bakili Muluzi, Edward Chitsulo Bwanali and other willing Malawians to form a pressure group United Democratic Front (UDF) championing the return of Malawi to political party pluralism as was the case in the 1960s. He was its First Vice Chairman with Dr. George Afawaka Mkandawire as Second Vice Chairman and Elson Bakili Muluzi as its Chairman. The grouping couldn't be called a political party then as Malawi was a one-party state and thus the constitution was only recognising the existence of Malawi Congress Party. Later the UDF was to form the new government in a new multi-party era in 1994 United Democratic Front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political history of Malawi</span> History of Malawi

The political history of Malawi spans over a century. Malawi, then Nyasaland, effectively became a one-party state in August 1961, when the country held its first general elections, and the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) led by Hastings Kamuzu Banda became the dominant force. This status was formalized in 1966 when the constitution declared the MCP the sole legitimate political party. However, in 1993, the constitution was amended to introduce a multiparty system, paving the way for the emergence of new political parties. The United Democratic Front (UDF) quickly rose to prominence, and since then, other parties have also gained ground. The constitution guarantees all citizens aged 18 and above the right to participate in the political process, including the right to run for public office. Women and minority groups have made significant strides in Malawian politics, holding various positions in the National Assembly, cabinet, and judiciary, and contributing to the country's political landscape.

References

  1. Simfukwe, Meekness (14 May 2015). "Family, nation celebrate Kamuzu's life". The Nation Online.
  2. "Obituary: Dr Hastings Banda". The Independent. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  3. Chauwa, Alfred (5 December 2016). "MCP, family celebrate Kamuzu's life: Chakwera to champion for rebuilding of party headquarters". Nyasa Times.
  4. "Hastings Kamuzu Banda - National Portrait Gallery". www.npg.org.uk. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  5. Louis Ea Moyston (16 October 2010). "Howell: man of heroic proportions". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  6. Kalinga, Owen J. M. (2012). Historical Dictionary of Malawi, Fourth Edition, p. 12
  7. Rotberg, Robert I. (19 January 2023). "The Hijacking of Malawi: Banda's Uptight Despotism". doi:10.1093/oso/9780197674208.003.0004.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. "Hastings Kamuzu Banda | president of Malawi". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  9. York, Geoffrey (20 May 2009). "The cult of Hastings Banda takes hold". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  10. Mccracken, John (1 April 1998). "Democracy and Nationalism in Historical Perspective: The Case of Malawi". African Affairs. 97 (387): 231–249. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a007927 . Retrieved 23 May 2019 via academic.oup.com.
  11. 1 2 Drogin, Bob (21 May 1995). "Malawi Tries Ex-Dictator in Murder : Africa: Aging autocrat is one of few among continent's tyrants to face justice for regime's abuses". Los Angeles Times.
  12. Denver Rocky Mountain News, 17 May 1994.
  13. Dallas Morning News, 3 December 1997.
  14. Geddes, Barbara; Wright, Joseph; Frantz, Erica (2018). How Dictatorships Work. Cambridge University Press. p. 70. doi:10.1017/9781316336182. ISBN   978-1-316-33618-2. S2CID   226899229.
  15. Brody, Donal (2000). "Conversations with Kamuzu: The Life and Times of Dr. H. Kamuzu Banda".
  16. M. Kalinga, Owen J. (2012). Historical Dictionary of Malawi. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 43–44. ISBN   9780810859616.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dowden, Richard (27 November 1997). "Obituary: Dr Hastings Banda". The Independent. London.
  18. 1 2 3 "Man in the News; Cosmopolitan Malawian; Hastings Kamuzu Banda". The New York Times. 9 September 1964.
  19. Watkins, Mark Hanna (1937). "A Grammar of Chichewa: A Bantu Language of British Central Africa". Language. 13 (2): 5–158. doi:10.2307/522167. JSTOR   522167.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "A Classic Dictator" . Independent.co.uk . 8 October 1995. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022.
  21. Mbughuni, Azariah (8 October 2023). "Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda Married Robertine Edmonds in the United States in 1934". United Africa.
  22. Weindling, Dick; Marianne Colloms (21 January 2019). "Hastings Banda and his English Mistress". History of Kilburn and West Hampstead.
  23. "Commonwealth and African Studies Bodleian Library". Bodleian Library, Oxford University.
  24. Adi, Hakim; Sherwood, Marika (1995). The 1945 Manchester Pan-African Congress Revisited. New Beacon Books. ISBN   978-1-873201-12-1.
  25. Kalinga, Owen (2012). Historical Dictionary of Malawi (4th ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 174. ISBN   978-0810859616.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "History of Malawi". Historyworld.net. 31 December 1963. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  27. Kamuzu Banda of Malawi: A Study in Promise, Power, and Paralysis (Malawi Under Dr Banda) (1961 to 1993), John Lloyd Lwanda, Dudu Nsomba Publications, 1993, p. 278
  28. Attorney General v Malawi Congress Party & Ors. (Civil Appeal 22 of 1996) [1997] MWSC 1 (30 January 1997)
  29. New encyclopedia of Africa, Volume 1, John Middleton, Joseph Calder Miller, Thomson/Gale, 2008, p. 215
  30. Shaw 2005, 8 & Mwanza Road Incident Report (Limbe, Malawi, 1994)
  31. Nelson, Harold D., Margarita Dobert, Gordon C. McDonald, James McLaughlin, Barbara Marvin, and Donald P. Whitaker (1975). Area Handbook for Malawi, p. 176.
  32. "Malawi – North Korea Relations" Archived 15 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine , Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Republic of Malawi. Accessed on 18 January 2020
  33. Kalinga, Owen J. M. (2012). Historical Dictionary of Malawi, Fourth Edition, p. xxv.
  34. Nelson, Dobert, McDonald, McLaughlin, Marvin, and Whitaker (1975). Area Handbook for Malawi, p. 188.
  35. 1 2 3 4 "Malawi: Heroes or Neros?". Time. 14 April 1967. Archived from the original on 15 December 2008.
  36. Black World/Negro Digest, January 1965, p. 31.
  37. "Hasting Banda". Sunday Times . Johannesburg. 24 May 1970. Archived from the original on 17 October 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  38. Nelson, Dobert, McDonald, McLaughlin, Marvin, and Whitaker (1975). Area Handbook for Malawi, p. 178.
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 "Afrikka" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  40. Robinson, David. 2009. “Defense, Ideology or Ambition: An Assessment of Malawian Motivations for Intervention in the Mozambican Civil War” Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences, Vol 1, No 2, 302–322, at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/26610131_Defense_Ideology_or_Ambition_An_Assessment_of_Malawian_Motivations_for_Intervention_in_the_Mozambican_Civil_War/fulltext/0ffc56310cf29a969e9c7cba/Defense-Ideology-or-Ambition-An-Assessment-of-Malawian-Motivations-for-Intervention-in-the-Mozambican-Civil-War.pdf.
  41. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Operation Bwezani". Kamuzubanda.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  42. Malawi: 1993 Referendum results Archived 6 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine EISA.
  43. Venta, Sahm. "Banda Concedes Defeat; Muluzi Headed for Victory". AP News. Associated Press. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  44. "Malawi Opposition Parties Form Alliance Ahead of Fresh Polls". Voanews. 12 March 2020.
  45. Russell, Alec (1999). Big men, little people : encounters in Africa. London: Macmillan. ISBN   0-333-75359-3. OCLC   41309130.
  46. 1 2 3 "Democracy in Malawi: Ex-Pres. Banda's Apology". H-net.org. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  47. Geoff Crowther, Africa on a Shoestring, 5th ed., Lonely Planet Publications. 1989.
  48. Suffering in silence: Malawi women's 30 year dance with Dr Banda, Emily Lilly Mkamanga, Dudu Nsomba Publications, 2000, p. 278
  49. Blantyre Journal: Malawi Deprived? Well, TV's on Way, New York Times , 30 May 1996
  50. The Society of Malawi Journal, Volumes 55–58, 2002, p. 30.
  51. Africa on the cheap, 1982, p. 179
  52. Education, Democracy, and Political Development in Africa [ permanent dead link ], Clive Harber, Sussex Academic Press, 1997, p. 9
  53. Shaw 2005, 37.
  54. Chagunda, Chance (4 February 2021). "Development Aid, Democracy and Sustainable Development in Malawi - 1964 to date". Cadernos de Estudos Africanos (41): 145–164. doi: 10.4000/cea.6446 . hdl: 10071/31790 .
  55. 1 2 3 Tenthani, Raphael (2000) "Mystery of the Banda millions" BBC News 17 May 2000
  56. "Hastings Banda | The Economist". The Economist. 27 November 1997.
  57. 1 2 "Kamuzu's grand-niece quits Jumani case". Nationmw.net. 17 December 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  58. Sevenzo, Farai (2000). "Bedtime for Banda". Transition (85): 4–29. JSTOR   3137481.
  59. "Malawians bury Banda". 3 December 1997.
  60. 1 2 "President Banda Visits Taiwan". Taiwan Today. 1 September 1967. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  61. "HM the Queen meets President Kamuzu Banda, 1985". Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 23 December 2024.

Bibliography

Political offices
Preceded by
(none)
Prime Minister of Nyasaland
1961–1964 (de facto until 1963)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of Malawi
1964–1966
Succeeded by
himself as President
Preceded by
Elizabeth II as Head of State
Himself as Head of Government
President of Malawi
1966–1994
Succeeded by