In the quiet lush suburb of Mudi residential area near Maselema in Limbe, Blantyre, a house with historical significance has become the centre of an ownership dispute, pitting a member of the family of Malawi’s first president Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda against current occupant, Alfred Alex Juta.
Built by a British citizen and later sold to a Malawian of Indian origin, the house on Plot No. CC 270 was once rented by Banda during his rise to power. Its association with the former president led the Department of Museums and Monuments to list it as a protected historical structure.
According to documents Weekend Nation has seen, Juta, then a government officer working with the Ministry of Lands, purchased the house through a government loan scheme.
But Steve Kazombo, a relation of the former president, claims the house belongs to Kamuzu Banda because it is listed as part of his will.
He says he and the Kamuzu family now want to repossess the house, arguing it is one of the properties that were stolen from Banda during his old age.
However, Department of Museums and Monuments in the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture, Antiquities director Lovermore Mazibuko said in an interview yesterday that Kamuzu did not own the house.
“The house is owned by government. The government acquired it from Senhor Francisco Xavier Jose de Rosario of Beira. The government, through an agreement with the previous owner, declared the house a national monument. The house is currently under the care of Malawi Housing Corporation,” he said.
The house’s significance was cemented when the department issued a letter confirming its status as a monument, emphasising that any renovation or ownership change must adhere to preservation laws.
Confirming the status of the house, Mazibuko said it was listed as a national monument around 1969 and was later gazetted.
“This house is called the March 3 House. This house is situated within Mudi area, near Maselema along the road to Zomba. We call it the March 3 House because it is where Dr Banda was arrested on March 3 1959 and later sent to Gweru Prison following the declaration of the State of Emergency by the then Governor of Nyasaland, Sir Robert Armitage,” he explained.
“The house was listed as part of efforts to preserve the political heritage of this country, since it serves as a symbol of struggle for independence and also reminds the present and future generations that the freedoms we enjoy today did not come on a silver platter.”
But Juta said his acquisition of the property was formalised through a letter signed by John Ngwira on behalf of the Blantyre/Limbe Pool Housing Committee, indicating that the house was allocated to him on July 20 1995.
He further explained that the Blantyre/Limbe Pool Housing Committee was the one mandated to allocated houses to senior civil servants.
According to a letter from the Ministry of Lands that Weekend Nation has seen, the house was purchased from the Malawi Government after the property’s previous owner, a Malawian of Indian origin, sold it to the State, which in turn leased it to Juta under a 99-year lease agreement.
In the letter, the land’s title deed number Chichiri 486 confirms the lease, which commenced on September 1 1995 for a consideration of K183 750, with an annual rent of K1 818.75.
Juta recounts the details of his ownership and the valuations undertaken in 1995, including a valuation certificate issued at a cost of K1106.25.
In an interview, he maintained that he has occupied the house continuously since 1995, paying city rates and adhering to legal requirements.
Trouble began late 2024 when Kazombo, accompanied by people Juta described as “bouncers”, allegedly came to his house, claiming that the property was part of Kamuzu’s will and, therefore, belonged to his family.
“In November 2024, Steve Kazombo came to my house with bouncers, threatening and telling me he has been directed by Deputy Speaker of Parliament Madalitso Kazombo to remove me from the house as it is in Kamuzu’s will and, therefore, belongs to his family,” Juta said.
He said the situation escalated earlier this year when Steven Kazombo returned with a man and a woman, purported to be officials from the Ministry of Lands, who took measurements of the plot and instructed Juta’s son to tell him to vacate the premises. Juta was away.
Juta further claimed that he was summoned to Kamuzu family lawyer’s office where he was offered K180 million to vacate the house, alongside threats of legal action if he refused.
“They asked me to give them the documents of the house. They said they have found a buyer for the house and the land. I told them I should ask my lawyer about the proposal first. My lawyer is now planning to apply for a protection order,” he said.
Lawyer Victor Mandiwe of Kapoto and Company confirmed Juta instructed the law firm to represent him.
“We have received instructions to seek court’s intervention to protect our client’s [Juta] property rights. We will pursue all available legal avenues to ensure that his rights and those of his family members are safeguarded and upheld,” he said.
Lawyer for the Kamuzu family, Patrick Kalanda referred us to Steven Kazombo who confirmed in a telephone interview that he approached Juta at the house.
He said: “It is true that I went to the house with people to measure and value the house. I will share the valuation report with you. The house is among the five stolen properties of Kamuzu that have been recovered. Apart from the Mudi house, we have also recovered pieces of land in Chigumula, Mapanga and Namiwawa,” he said.
“If you read Kamuzu’s will, he instructed that his estate should be shared among family members after 21 years. The period [21 years have now] elapsed. The family is now on the verge of sharing his estate. Hence, we are recovering stolen property before we start sharing his estate.
“We suspect Mr. Juta used his position at the Ministry of Lands, then, to steal the house from Kamuzu. He used Kamuzu’s old age to his advantage. We have, however, asked him to instruct his lawyer to discuss the matter with our lawyer before we take legal action.”
National Bank of Malawi are administrators of Kamuzu’s estate and, asked to comment on the matter, their spokesperson Akossah Hiwa said a will is a confidential document.
“National Bank is the administrator of Kamuzu’s estate, yes, but whatever is in Kamuzu’s will is confidential. I cannot tell you what is in there. Ask the Kamuzu family,” she said.
Weighing in on the issue, one of Kamuzu’s senior family members Ken Kandodo said he knew about the house in question.
“It is the one Kamuzu was staying in in the early 1960s, when he arrived in the country. He was operating his clinic in Limbe, then. Whether it is in his will or not, I don’t know. I need to check,” he said.
Ministry of Lands spokesperson Mphatso Nkuonera promised to revert, but did not.
