Paper short abstract:

This paper explores Kamuzu Banda’s rumoured territorial ambitions in southern Africa, and considers the extent to which designs on Mozambican space shaped his often-contradictory engagement other regional actors, as well as Malawi’s broader foreign policy in the lead-up to Mozambican independence.

Paper long abstract:

In 1971 the South African Minister of Defence returned from a meeting with the Malawian President, at which the latter had reportedly floated the idea of jointly annexing all of Mozambique in the event of Portuguese decolonisation. Everything north of the Zambezi would go to Malawi; the southern provinces could be split between Rhodesia and South Africa. South African officials questioned the seriousness of this proposal, but the Minister confirmed this was not the first time that the idea had been raised by President Banda. The statements may have been made partly in jest, but rumours had abounded for some time about Banda’s designs on the neighbouring state which, if acquired, would provide much longed-for direct access to the sea.

This paper explores Banda’s territorial ambitions and the implications that these might have had for Malawi’s regional relationships in the lead-up to Mozambican independence. In discussing engagement with other actors in southern Africa, and a preoccupation with security in the Indian Ocean, it considers the extent to which designs on Mozambican space shaped Banda’s regional engagement in the 1960s and early 1970s. It suggests that understanding the nature of these designs – not only secret, but highly dependent on imagined future scenarios – could be key to understanding some of the more contradictory elements of Malawian foreign policy during this time.