'The extended family members had no knowledge of a father,' the rep explains when confirming that Madonna's adopted kid Mercy James had no plan to meet a man claiming to be her dad.
- August 31, 2010
AceShowbiz - A spokesperson for Madonna has confirmed her adopted Malawian daughter will not meet a man who alleges he's her biological dad - because her extended family has "no knowledge of a father". In 2009, the pop star won her appeal to adopt abandoned Mercy James, whose 14-year-old mother died days after giving birth.
The adoption faced opposition from Malawian man James Kambewa, who launched a legal bid in April, 2009 to regain custody of Mercy, claiming he was her biological father. Kambewa gave up his fight two months later, and reports suggested he missed his opportunity to reunite with his four-year-old during the pop star's trip to Mercy's homeland in April this year, instead moving to South Africa to make a "better life" for himself.
But a representative for the singer insists there was no planned meeting between Mercy and Kambewa, who is not acknowledged by the tot's extended family in Malawi. Madonna's rep Barbara Charone tells South Africa's the Sunday Times, "The extended family members had no knowledge of a father. The village leadership had no knowledge of a father... the mother was raped and left."
Mercy is Madonna's second adopted Malawian child. She is also mum to David Banda, four, and has a 10-year-old son, Rocco, from her marriage to British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, and a 13-year-old daughter Lourdes, from her relationship with Carlos Leone.
