Madonna is expected in Malawi this weekend with the intention of adopting another child from the south-east African country. The queen of pop will take her Malawian son David with her to visit his natural father.
Officials in the capital Lilongwe confirmed the millionaire singer had filed the appropriate papers and would attend an adoption hearing there as early as next week.
"We expect her over the weekend or even earlier than that... but without a doubt she is coming," said an official at the Ministry of Child Development, which deals with foreign adoptions.
The singer told the Malawian press recently friends had advised her David needed a Malawian brother or sister. She admitted wanting to adopt again, "but only with the support of the Malawian people".
David’s natural father, Yohane Banda, a peasant farmer, said he had been told he might see his son next week. "I am delighted. I want to see my son," he said.
Madonna has set her sights on adopting four-year-old Mercy James, who lives in an orphanage near Blantyre, in the south of Malawi, reports the Daily Mail.
The child is apparently already being cared for by a nanny at the Kumbali lodge where the 50-year-old stayed on previous visits.