24/04/2026
By the 1990s, things had changed a lot.
What was different in the 1990s?
Apartheid in South Africa was collapsing (it officially ended in 1994).
International pressure against apartheid had become very strong.
Inside Malawi, people were also starting to challenge the rule of Hastings Kamuzu Banda.
About contributions from schools
There is no strong historical evidence that in the 1990s Banda again ordered schools nationwide to contribute money to support South Africa like in 1976.
By then:
Supporting apartheid openly would have been very unpopular internationally and locally
Malawi itself was moving toward multi-party democracy (1993–1994)
Banda’s influence was weakening toward the end of his rule
What was happening instead?
Political pressure inside Malawi was growing (churches, students, and citizens speaking out)
The focus shifted from foreign support to internal political change
In 1994, Banda lost power in Malawi’s first democratic elections
Bottom line
That kind of policy—asking schools to support apartheid South Africa—belongs mainly to the 1970s period, not the 1990s.
If someone claims it also happened in the 1990s, it’s likely:
confusion with earlier events, or
a story that isn’t well supported by historical records.
