A family member, Gift Ponderani on Wednesday said in 2018, the institution's land demarcation survey showed that the guesthouse was constructed at their family's land and they have been engaging Malamulo Mission to compensate them.

Ponderani has reported that a meeting between both sides last month, agreed that the institution should pay the family within 30 days, but nothing has happened, hence the action.

"In the meeting, we settled that they should honor the compensation within four weeks, but before that, they brought in different issues claiming that our granny signed a letter of giving out the land freely to the Mission. We charged them to bring out the letter, but they could not, so we thought they are not being honest on the matter," he said.

Senior Chief Khwethemule of the area has also confirmed that a land survey conducted by the institution in 2018, revealed that the land belongs to the family.

Currently, the family camped on the land, cultivated and cut down trees on the premise.

Meanwhile, President for the Seventh Day Adventist in Malawi, Pastor Tony Nyirenda has disclosed that Adventist Hospitals International (AHI) will meet next month to discuss and make a resolution on releasing money to compensate the family.

Pastor Nyirenda said "it is only this Church board that can decide on the matter and other members are from the outside country."

According to Chief Khwethemule, the issue dates back from around 1970s when the mission's white administrators were expanding the premises where they reportedly discussed with the family's forefathers to acquire some land around.

The chief said later, some community members started encroaching the land, a development which called for a land audit in 2018 and some communities were then forced out by the institution.

He added that the survey equally revealed that even where the guesthouse sits belong to the family, hence commencing discussions to compensate the family.