A fierce ownership battle has erupted over Blantyre Secondary School (BSS), one of Malawi's oldest and most prestigious learning institutions, after the Blantyre Synod of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) boldly declared that the school does not belong to the government -- but to the church.
The explosive claim has set the Synod on a direct collision course with Blantyre City Council and the Ministry of Education, both of which insist that BSS is government property.
The major source of the conflict is land ownership.
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While BSS is officially recognised as a national secondary school under the Ministry of Education, the Blantyre Synod now claims it is merely operating on church land that was leased to the government nearly eight decades ago.
Speaking on Sunday at Nkowa CCAP Church in Blantyre, Synod General Secretary Anderson Juma told congregants that the public had been misled for years into believing the school belonged to the state.
"This land belongs to the church. It was only leased to government," Juma declared.
When contacted yesterday, Juma doubled down on the claim, saying the Synod now possesses legal documents proving its ownership.
"For a long time, people believed the school belongs to government because we did not have documents. Now we do, and that is why we are telling the truth," he said.
According to Juma, the land was leased to the Malawi Government in 1946 for 99 years -- a lease that is now dangerously close to expiring.
"We are remaining with about 18 years. When the lease expires, the property automatically reverts to the rightful owner, and that owner is Blantyre Synod," he said.
In a statement that has sent shockwaves through the education sector, Juma made it clear the Synod has no intention of renewing the lease.
"We are not renewing it. We are taking back our property," he said bluntly.
He added that the Synod is preparing formal communication to notify government of its position.
Former Synod General Secretary Alex Maulana backed Juma's claims, saying the dispute has been simmering for decades.
"This issue has always been there. The only problem was lack of evidence. Now that the evidence is available, it has resurfaced," Maulana said.
However, government officials are pushing back hard.
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Blantyre City Council Public Relations Officer Deborah Luka said council records show the land belongs to the Ministry of Education under Blantyre Girls Primary School.
Education Minister Bright Msaka, in a written response, said he was not even aware of the church's claim.
"I have not seen or heard about it. I will respond when it reaches my desk and I am properly briefed," Msaka said.
The standoff threatens to explode into a full-blown legal and political battle, with massive implications for thousands of learners and the future of one of Malawi's most iconic schools.
Historical records indicate that Blantyre Secondary School was established in 1941 by the colonial government, making it the country's first formal government secondary school -- even older than Dedza Secondary School, which opened in 1951.
If the Synod's claim is upheld, it could rewrite Malawi's education history and open the door for similar ownership battles across the country -- raising uncomfortable questions about how many "government schools" may, in fact, be standing on borrowed land.
