Former government official hostess Cecilia Tamanda Kadzamira has suffered a major legal defeat after the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed her bid to claim ownership of Tichitenji Estate in Mchinji.
The ruling ends Kadzamira’s latest attempt to overturn a High Court decision recognising the Kaphwiti Banda family as the rightful owners of the disputed property.
A panel of seven Supreme Court judges, sitting in Lilongwe, found no grounds to overturn the lower court’s judgment and dismissed her appeal with costs.
Kadzamira had argued that she acquired the estate in 1972 after it was allegedly given to her by former president, the late Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda.
However, the Kaphwiti Banda family produced a title deed showing that they acquired the property in 1966, six years before Kadzamira’s claimed ownership.
The Supreme Court decision sparked celebrations among family members outside the court, bringing relief to a family that has spent years fighting to reclaim the estate.
The family’s lawyer, Wapona Kita, welcomed the judgment, saying Kadzamira’s grounds of appeal lacked merit. He said the High Court had correctly interpreted and applied the law, with its findings supported by evidence presented during the proceedings.
Kadzamira’s lawyer, Khumbo Soko, said his client had exhausted the available legal processes and would now have to move on. He also said he respected the court’s decision.
In 2025, the High Court ruled in favour of the Kaphwiti Banda family, declaring them the rightful owners of Tichitenji Estate. The property was reportedly taken from the family more than five decades ago after its owner, the late Elias Kaphwiti Banda, went into exile.
