In April, I became aware of trouble brewing in the country. I heard a speech on the radio by Malawi’s president, Dr. Hastings Banda. He claimed that Jehovah’s Witnesses did not pay taxes and that they interfered with politics. Of course, these accusations were false. We all knew that the real issue was our neutrality, especially our refusal to buy political party membership cards.

By September, we read in the newspaper that the president had accused the brothers of causing trouble everywhere. He announced at a political convention that his government would act quickly on a resolution recommending that Jehovah’s Witnesses be banned. This ban went into effect on October 20, 1967. Shortly thereafter, police officers and immigration officials arrived at the branch office to close it down and deport the missionaries from the country.

Malawi’s political situation eventually changed, and in 1993 the government lifted the ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses.