The Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal has thrown out an application by former government official hostess Cecilia Tamanda Kadzamira to suspend enforcement of a judgement against her in the Tichitenji Estate ownership wrangle.
The High Court of Malawi earlier ruled that the family of deceased politician Elias Kaphwiti Banda legally owns the estate in Mchinji District.
Ruling on Kadzamira’s fresh application, the Supreme Court said the application was filed in a wrong court and asked the applicants to first ask the High Court for a stay of the varied order.
“The application for suspension of enforcement of the judgement of the court below is dismissed for want of jurisdiction,” the order reads in part.
The Kaphwiti Banda family challenged Kadzamira’s claim to the 583.771-acre Tichitenji Estate in Mchinji District, arguing that the estate was allocated to the family and that her title deed is invalid.
In December last year, the High Court concluded hearing the ownership dispute and delivered its judgement and declared Kadzamira’s title deed defective and invalid.
However, on January 6 2026, the court also stopped Kadzamira’s eviction from Tichitenji Farm until determination of the appeal and in July this year the High Court varied the arrangement, allowing the parties to occupy and use separate portions of the estate while the appeal remained pending.
Kadzamira, who was founding president Hastings Kamuzu Banda’s confidante, has insisted that the property belongs to her, arguing that it was handed to her by the former president in 1972. But the Kaphwiti Bandas’ deed shows they got theirs in 1966.
On Wednesday this week, Tapiwa Banda, a representative of the Kaphiwir Banda family, was abreast with the developments relating to the latest application and verdict.
