Madonna’s Adoption, the Saga Continues

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Madonna’s bid to adopt David Banda is hanging in the balance this week as it has emerged that the Malawian social worker who was to assess the star’s suitability to adopt this week has been replaced.

Penstone Kilembe, who has been dealing with the case since last year, has been replaced by Simon Chisale after government intervention.

Madonna took custody of David Banda in October 2006 when she was granted an 18-month interim custody order.

However, the full adoption will only be finalized when Malawi authorities are fully satisfied that the child is properly cared for.

There had been some controversy surrounding Mr. Kilembe’s suitability to carry out this week’s assessment. This week’s sudden decision to take him off the job means that Mr. Chisale is now in England carrying out the assessment.

The proposed adoption caused a huge media storm when news of Madonna’s plans broke last year. Many questioned the ethics of Madonna adopting the boy, whose father is still alive.

David Banda had originally been put in an orphanage by his father Yohane Banda when his wife died.  When Madonna found the youngster he was suffering from pneumonia after surviving tuberculosis and malaria.

In a revealing interview with Oprah Winfrey last year, Madonna revealed: “I wanted to go into a Third World country, I wasn’t sure where, and give a life to a child who might not otherwise have had one.

“An eight-year-old girl who is living with HIV was holding this child. I became transfixed by him. But I didn’t yet know I was going to adopt him. I was just drawn to him.”