1921–1926: Return to Africa In the aftermath of the 1915
Chilembwe uprising, the colonial government shut the
Providence Industrial Mission down. In a 1962 letter to
Hastings Banda, Malekebu recalled that he was not permitted to enter because the government believed he would become "another John Chilembwe." As a result of his leadership in the CDNA, Malekebu was appointed as a member of the Chiradzulu District Council in the early 1930s. District Councils were the only recognized links between native associations and state governments, meaning that all recommendations from native associations were required to pass through their local District Councils before reaching their state governments. Thus, Malekebu's appointment to his local District Council significantly increased his political influence. While the CDNA found limited success with its recommendations to the government, it represented an important challenge to colonial rule. Furthermore, the CDNA succeeded in strengthening the relationships between native leaders throughout Nyasaland. In fact, the CDNA collaborated closely with fellow native associations throughout Nyasaland, even planning for eventual unification into a single organization. After five years of operation, the CDNA disintegrated in 1934 due to new government restrictions.
1938–1950: The National Baptist Assembly of Africa After leaving Nyasaland in 1938, Malekebu and Zeto spent six years in the United States on medical leave. Although they planned on a much shorter period of leave,
World War II made international travel more difficult and dangerous, which delayed their plans to return to Nyasaland. The couple finally returned to Chiradzulu and resumed their work at the PIM in 1944. In 1945, Malekebu was appointed acting principal of the Foreign Mission Board's largest station in South Africa, the W. W. Brown Memorial Station located in
Johannesburg. By this point, he was supervisor of over 50 churches, 2 schools, and a staff of 30 people. Having accumulated broad influence throughout
East and
Southern Africa, Malekebu founded the National Baptist Assembly of Africa (NBAA) that same year, in 1945. Modeled after the National Baptist Convention, the NBAA was a unified organization of Baptist ministers from Nyasaland, Mozambique, Northern and Southern Rhodesia, and South Africa. In the second week of every August, the NBAA held an Annual Assembly in which thousands of ministers and their congregations gathered to sing, pray, and preach in a range of Southern African languages. Malekebu took pride in the diversity of languages present at these Assemblies, stating that it "demonstrated [their] power." In 1947, Secretary C. C. Adams of the Foreign Mission Board embarked on a tour of the PIM's outstations and participated in the NBAA's Annual Assembly. He reported over 12,000 attendees at that year's Assembly. As a result of this tour, Adams appointed Malekebu as "Supervisor of Southern, Central, and East Africa", making him the official leader of all Foreign Mission Board missions at the time. This marked a "turning point" in Malekebu's authority and in the National Baptist Convention's support for the PIM. In 1950, Malekebu purchased 800 new acres of land to expand the work of the NBAA. By this time, the PIM had become the largest religious organization in Nyasaland and the National Baptist Convention's largest African mission. With over 18,000 members and over 300 churches, it constituted "the most powerful Christian body in Africa."
1950–1967: The African Baptist Assembly of Malawi Inc. Due to increasing health concerns, Malekebu and Zeto travelled back and forth between Nyasaland and the United States throughout the 1950s. The couple made three separate trips to the United States in 1950, 1952, and 1956. In 1958, the couple returned to Nyasaland for a more extended stay, determined to continue working in spite of their old age. That year, the PIM reported a total of 6,870 students and 5,393 patients across all of its stations. On July 6, 1964, the British protectorate of Nyasaland officially became the independent country of
Malawi. This resulted in the rebranding of the PIM as the
African Baptist Assembly of Malawi Inc., though most commonly it continued to be known and referred to as the PIM. In 1967, Malekebu briefly returned to
Nashville, Tennessee to accept the highest award of his alma mater, the Meharry Medical College President's Award. The city of Nashville held a service in honor of Malekebu's fifty years of "service to humanity". In recognition of his important contributions, Malekebu received a ceremonial
Key to the City of Nashville, the Tennessee Governor's Award for outstanding service, and a Special Letter of Commendation from the
White House signed by President
Lyndon B. Johnson.
1967–1978: Retirement and financial controversy In the late 1960s, the PIM became mired in financial controversy. In 1969, the Malawian government shut down or took over multiple PIM schools because the PIM had not used a government grant for its intended purpose, which was to pay the salaries of teachers. Likewise, the National Baptist Convention accused the PIM of misusing and mismanaging Foreign Mission Board funds. At this point, the National Baptist Convention was in great debt on account of the PIM. Fifteen different creditors sued the National Baptist Convention for failing to pay back loans spent on the PIM, demanding a total of over $15,000. In 1971, Secretary William Harvey III of the Foreign Mission Board travelled to Chiradzulu to investigate the situation. Harvey reported that some ministers of the PIM were indeed mismanaging or embezzling Foreign Mission Board funds which were supposed to finance employee salaries and various projects. Neither Malekebu nor the minister who was in charge of the PIM's finances were able to give a "satisfactory" explanation. While Malekebu himself was found innocent of financial fraud, he was ultimately held responsible for his failure of oversight as the chairman of the PIM. In light of this controversy as well as Malekebu's old age and ailing health, the National Baptist Convention requested that Malekebu retire to the United States. With Malekebu's approval, Harvey appointed Reverend Leonard Muocha as the new Chairman of the PIM and President of the NBAA. Muocha was a longtime PIM minister who had sometimes acted as chairman during Malekebu's periods of absence. Malekebu and Zeto left Nyasaland on November 12, 1971. After 45 years of missionary service, Malekebu and Zeto finally retired in
Atlanta,
Georgia. Zeto died just six years later on September 21, 1977. In 1978, a faction of disgruntled PIM ministers appealed to the High Court of Blantyre to reject the legitimacy of Muocha's appointment and his claim to PIM property. These ministers argued that the PIM was totally independent of the Foreign Mission Board, and therefore the Board did not have the power to retire Malekebu or to appoint Muocha. Thus, they maintained that Malekebu was still the rightful Chairman of the PIM. In 1978, Malekebu returned to Malawi for the last time to testify in this case, claiming that he was indeed the rightful Chairman of the PIM. Ultimately, the Court ruled in favor of Muocha and the Foreign Mission Board. In the last month of his life, Malekebu founded a new church called the Independent Baptist Convention, located in Chiradzulu. About half of the PIM's ministers left the PIM to join this church. On October 8, 1978, Malekebu died in his hometown of Chiradzulu, at 89 years of age. == Legacy ==