JOHANNESBURG - The one-year-old Malawian boy Madonna hopes to adopt is on his way to London after boarding a flight from South Africa, according to a newspaper photographer at the airport.
Earlier, a private jet had whisked the boy from Malawi to Johannesburg after Malawian authorities waived local rules to grant the pop star an interim adoption and issued the boy, David Banda, with a passport.
Neo Ntsoma, a photographer at Johannesburg's Star newspaper, told Reuters she had recognised the child on his stopover from pictures in the media, but that bodyguards had blocked her from photographing him.
"I saw white people with a black baby. I thought these people might be the ones we were waiting for ... When they reacted I was convinced," Ntsoma said. "They went through the boarding gate ... The flight was going to London."
The baby had left Malawi with one of Madonna's bodyguards and her personal assistant, prompting charges from local human rights groups that she had used her celebrity status to bypass normal adoption rules.
"Madonna and her husband, filmmaker Guy Ritchie, have been granted an interim adoption of baby David by the courts in Malawi. He was issued a passport and a visa was granted earlier today which allows him to travel outside of Malawi," Madonna's New York publicist said in a statement.
"This interim adoption grants David's new parents temporary custody for 18 months, during which time they will be evaluated by the courts of Malawi per the tribal customs of the country. It is expected that the family will be reunited within the next few days."
Banda will swap his home in a dilapidated orphanage near the Zambian border for a life of luxury in London with one of the world's most famous couples and their two children.
Malawian law bans adoptions by non-residents, but officials are granting an exemption to Madonna.
"The rich shouldn't get preferential treatment. I am fine with the idea of the adoption but I want people to go through the system," said Emmie Chanika, director of the Civil Liberties Committee.
Some 59 rights groups had planned to ask the court on Monday to recognise them as involved parties, which would pave the way for them to apply for an injunction to block the adoption.
"We will proceed with the case. We still lodge an injunction," said Maxwell Matewere, director of Eye of the Child, Malawi's leading child advocacy group. "If the court accepts the injunction then the baby must fly back."
There was media speculation in Britain today that Madonna may have failed to take the extensive series of detailed steps required to adopt a child from overseas.
In addition to two homes in Britain, the singer also has a home in Beverly Hills in the United States.
The couple arrived in Malawi on October 4 on what was described as a humanitarian trip, and left last Friday.
Madonna spent most of her time in Malawi visiting orphanages and meeting charity workers as part of a campaign to publicise the plight of some 900,000 orphans, around seven per cent of a population devastates by AIDS.
She has pledged to donate about US $3 million to the campaign to help these children, many of whom are themselves infected with HIV. The effort is being spearheaded by her charity, Raising Malawi.
- REUTERS
* What do you think? Should Madonna be allowed to adopt the baby? Email us with your thoughts.
In my opinion, adopting an unfortunate (orphanage) child is a noble deed. The child will have a family, home, education and life. Why on earth somebody is trying to stop that? Madonna is no different to another people who want to adopt a child/baby. But because she is a famous celebrity, the topic becomes public issue, hence many thoughts/judgements involved. I agree 100% to the rule that says a valuation of the adoption will be conducted in the next 18 months to ensure that the child is looked after well and treated as part of the nuclear family. Good on you Madonna!
- Irene Mardiono
The adoption shouldn't be stopped. Do you really think a one year old who has been sent to a foreign country with a whole lot of strangers needs to go through all that again? I don't think so. It's amazing what money can do. How many couples are out there who don't have any children and are trying to adopt but haven't got the money and have to go through the long and lengthy process of intercountry adoption? This adoption should pave the way for making it easier to adopt children from these countries. I personally know dozens of couples who would LOVE to have at least one child in there family. Something is wrong with the system. All we want to do is place children in loving families.
- Margo
