The Old Parliament building in Zomba, designed by Ross McKenzie, van Heerden and Hartford, constructed by Messrs. Angelo Gouveia and Company was officially opened in 1957.
Up to I994, it was the backdrop for many key political changes in Malawi.
For example, after the first general election in 1961, it changed from a white-dominated chamber by welcoming African members of parliament elected under the banner of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP).
In 1964 it was the formal arena for ratifying and operationalising the independence constitution.
In 1966 the chamber was the site for the adoption of the republican constitution, the introduction of a one-party state, the Kamuzu Banda life presidency – and in the 1990s, it oversaw their revocation in the turn to multi-party politics.
Today (2019), the old parliament building is a pale shadow of its former self, serving temporarily as a court facility.