Singer's visit to Malawi sparks rumours

MALAWI: Madonna arrived in Malawi yesterday with one-year-old David Banda, the Malawian boy she is adopting, amid rumours she…

MALAWI:Madonna arrived in Malawi yesterday with one-year-old David Banda, the Malawian boy she is adopting, amid rumours she intends to adopt a second child from an orphanage in the impoverished African country.

The singer, who sparked controversy last year when she decided to adopt David, plans to meet the boy's father during the visit, a government official said. Madonna landed at Lilongwe's airport in a private jet. She left the airport in a convoy of vehicles, which took her to the Home of Hope orphanage, where David lived before Madonna applied to adopt him, witnesses said.

"The government salutes Madonna for coming back with the child for the father to see him," minister of information Patricia Kaliati said, adding that she would visit the orphanage and pay a private visit to David's family during the visit.

Yohane Banda, the child's father, has complained he did not have access to Madonna and was having difficulty getting information about his son.

READ MORE

David was placed in an orphanage shortly after his mother died.

The singer is expected to visit an orphanage in connection with her charity work. A spokeswoman for Madonna says she has no plans to adopt another child, despite reports that she and her British film director husband, Guy Ritchie, wanted to adopt a Malawian girl.

The visit comes some six months after the couple signed interim adoption papers for David, who was to stay with Madonna and Ritchie for 18 months before a decision is made by theMalawian government. - (Reuters)