Realities in Malawi forced Kamuzu Banda to deal with apartheid South Africa

Opinion by Chatinkha Chidzanja Nkhoma

The realities of life are not as straight forward as we wish them to be. Hasting Kamuzu Banda Former President of Malawi had his own reasons for having dealing with Apartheid South Africa.

Former South African President Nelson Mandela himself once responded to a question about his relationship with Cuba’s Fidel Castro, “don’t try to make your enemies our enemies”. One has to understand the global political circumstances of that time.

Fast forward, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe paid an extremely high cost helping The African National Congress (ANC)  and other black South Africans liberation movements get where they are TODAY. Most of liberation fighters were hosted in these countries. Today people from these countries are being burnt alive, beaten senseless and chased like rabid dogs from the same black South Africans  they suffered for.

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This is the reason why I try not to judge too much how our elders dealt with things. I usually try to get the full context of the matter somehow.

ALL in all, I doubt that our leaders then were that stupid not understand the consequences of their actions or read the times. One famous Kamuzu speech said this….

“Those who are against me having an open relationship with South Africa, creep there at night to getting help from the same South Africans. Stop being hypocrites”.(paraphrased).

This issue is more complicated than just Malawi opting to support Renamo or having relationship with RSA.

Chatinkha Chidzanja Nkhoma

Let us remember that this was during the Cold War and in Africa it was not Cold but Hot. The Communist nation had their supporters while the Western had their too and were fired up to fight each other. The whole world was split between pro communities led by Russia and anticommunists led by America.

Malawi had to decide which would benefit it, not following the crowd. The pro communists/Socialism insurgents being propped up to overthrow Hasting Kamuzu Band government in Malawi were quickly dealt with(refer to cabinet crises).and war averted on the ground in Malawi.