EXCLUSIVE - 'Madonna betrayed us over our daughter Mercy': Orphan's family attack pop diva over 'white foreigners' who take babies from Africa

• Mercy James' grandparents say they are desperate to see their little girl
• They accuse star of betraying promise to keep her close to her roots
• Grandfather: 'She has my blood flowing in her veins, I want to see her'
• 'White foreigners who take our children have no understanding of our culture'
• Discovered Mercy was in Malawi thanks to MailOnline and newspapers
• Madonna 'is giving Mercy good schooling but we want to see her'

By Peter Jegwa In Lilongwe, Malawi

Published: 07:53 EST, 1 December 2014 | Updated: 09:13 EST, 1 December 2014

Madonna has been accused of 'betraying' the family of her adopted daughter Mercy - as they issued a desperate plea to be allowed to see her.

The grandparents of Mercy James have accused the star of cutting them out of her life and failing to meet a promise to keep her close to her roots. They also attacked 'white foreigners' for taking children away from Africa.

Saxon Maunde, grandfather of Mercy James who was adopted by Madonna in 2009, told MailOnline: 'Nobody has told me a thing about Mercy being in the country or about her welfare since she left us.

'She has my blood flowing in her veins. It is preposterous that I am not made aware of anything regarding her development.'

The 69-year-old, who ekes out a living selling pots from a roadside stall, added that Madonna had, 'broken my heart and hearts of my family members,' saying that, 'she has shown no humanity at all towards us.'

'Betrayal': The grandparents of Mercy James, pictured in the straw hat with Madonna, have accused the star of reneging on a promise to let them see her

Regrets: Saxon Maunde, Mercy James' grandfather, told MailOnline he bitterly regrets agreeing to allow Madonna to adopt his granddaughter

Thriving: Mercy James was adopted in 2009 by Madonna after a High Court agreed that the star did not need to be resident in Malawi for 18months prior to becoming a parent, but her family are upset that they have not seen her since

Bitter: Mercy's 69-year-old grandfather, who ekes out a living selling pots from a roadside stall, said that the first time he heard Mercy James was in the country was in newspaper reports

Saxon Maunde originally backed Madonna's bid to adopt his granddaughter because he believed she would get a good education, and convinced his reluctant ex-wife to agree the adoption papers.

But today, as Madonna visits Malawi with Mercy James, he said he bitterly regrets his decision and accused Madonna of kidnapping a child of Africa.

He said: 'White foreigners who decide to take our children away from Africa have no understanding of our culture.

'They don't realise that in our African families each one has a responsibility to the others. If a half-brother or half-sister does well, they share their fortunes with all of the others.

'A child like my granddaughter Mercy, if she succeeds in her career, she is expected to share that success with all of us. That is how our extended family system works.'

Because of that system, he believed Mercy was being given the chance of a lifetime to travel to America for her schooling and would then return to help her family in Africa.

'I worked for a household years ago where a foreign lady took one of the children to be educated and brought up abroad, and that child came back as a doctor and improved the lives of every member of the family. That is what persuaded me to let Mercy go.

'Now I see that all she meant was that she would bring her here on holiday, stay in an expensive lodge for foreigners, and cut us – her real blood family – out of her life. That cannot be the right way to do things. No foreigner has the right to interfere in our culture like this.'

His thoughts were echoed by his ex-wife Lucy Chekechiwa, also 69, who fears she may never see her granddaughter again.

'I am now old and sickly,' she said. 'I don't want to die before seeing my daughter.'

Chekechiwa and Maunde's teenage daughter died days after Mercy's birth and so the family placed her at the orphanage because they could not take care of her.

A tearful Chekechiwa said: 'We planned to take her back when she reached the age of six when she could eat solid food. But we were told a rich lady wanted to adopt her. We resisted at first but government officials convinced us this was good for Chifundo's future. We never thought we will not see our daughter again.

Maunde says he now bitterly regrets signing the papers that allowed the 56-year-old pop star to adopt Mercy, whose teenage mother Mwandida, died days after giving birth.

'By putting a distance between Mercy and me and members of my family, she is being extremely unfair.

Madonna, pictured with children Mercy James and David Banda, both nine, who she adopted from the African nation, has already helped to fund 10 schools in the country and her charitable efforts are not yet finished

Visiting Malawi: Madonna brought Mercy James to Gumulira village, about 80 km (50 miles) from the Malawian capital Lilongwe in April 2010 but Mercy did not see her family then

'Please let us see our daughter': Saxon Maunde, Mercy James' grandfather, just wants to see his granddaughter

Poverty: The grandfather of Mercy James, Saxon Maunde, ekes out a living selling pots but is not looking for any handout from Madonna, he says he simply wants to see Mercy

Anger: David Banda, Madonna's first adopted child, saw his father on a visit to the orphanage where he used to live

'We are extremely poor, but we do not need her money,' he added. 'A simple acknowledgement that we exist, that we are humans with feelings and that we do not wish to be disconnected from our child will be enough.

'What has happened to our family should be a lesson to anyone who may be approached by Madonna with promises to make lives of children better.'

His guilt is compounded because it was he who convinced his reluctant family to let Mercy go. His now estranged wife, Lucy, fought to keep Mercy as a court battle raged over her fate four years ago.

Lucy said: 'I didn't want her to go but as a family we had to sit down and reach an agreement and we agreed that Mercy should go.

'The men insisted that Mercy be adopted and I won't resist anymore. I still love Mercy. She is my dearest.'

Now Maunde says he made a mistake when he facilitated Madonna's adoption of Mercy some four years ago. He has never accepted money from Madonna and is not looking for any - he says he simply wants to see his daughter.

'We did not donate our child to Madonna. We let Madonna have our child because we were told she is a philanthropist who would help give her a good education.

'What is the point of us wanting Mercy to get a good education and a good life if in the end she does not help her relatives?'

With her adopted children Mercy James and David Banda, also nine, the Material girl has been visiting the east African nation to see the efforts of her charity Raising Malawi, first hand.

Her 14-year-old son Rocco Ritchie also joined them on visits to schools and hospitals in the country where she funds a number of orphanages, including Home of Hope in the western border district of Mchinji where she adopted David, and Kondanani Children's Home in the southern tea-growing district of Thyolo.

On Friday the pop legend met with Malawian President Peter Mutharika at the country's State House and later announced her plans to build 300 schools across Malawi.

She also found time for David to visit his father Yohande, who farms tomatoes and maize in the central border district of Mchinji.

Looking to adopt again? Madonna, centre, poses for a picture with children in Kasungu, about 150 kilometers north of the Malawian capital Lilongwe

Charity work: Madonna poses for a picture with children in Kasungu, about 150 kilometers north of the Malawian capital Lilongwe, where she has been working since 2006 with her non profit organization, Raising Malawi

Forgiven: Madonna had her 'VVIP' status restored by Malawi after being called 'arrogant' by the country's president in April last year. This time she played with her daughter Mercy as the girl's family issued a plea to see her

'You have grown so big,' Banda senior told his son as they bonded over a game of football.

Banda, who has since remarried and has another son, brought his son some gifts, including groundnuts and onions, in keeping with Malawian custom.

But the news of this visit has only added to the heartbreak for Mercy's grandmother.

'Why do they always take the other child (David) to his people and not Chifundo to us,' Chekechiwa asked, using her Malawian name which translates to Mercy. 'What's the difference? Is it because the other one is a boy why my daughter is a girl?'

She added that she fought to keep Mercy as a court battle raged over her fate five years ago.

After protracted legal wrangling Madonna was allowed to keep Mercy, who she spotted during a visit to an orphanage with her then husband Guy Ritchie in 2006.

Mercy's uncle, Peter Baneti - who also signed off Mercy's adoption papers in 2009 - said he was not sure whether or not he regretted signing off the papers.

He said: 'I met Madonna in court and she assured me she would be bringing back my niece every other two years. Was she lying to me? This was in court.

'Government officials are my witness for they were translating our conversation.'

Baneti, a tobacco farmer, said he doesn't know how to explain the situation to the family.

He said: 'They are all looking to me for answers because I am the one who signed the papers. What should I be telling them?'

Baneti also said that Mercy has a lot of cousins who want to see her - but are confused by her new life of luxury.

He said: 'We tell them they have a cousin who is living oversees with a famous rich woman. They wonder why this famous rich woman should allow them to live in abject poverty while their cousin is living big.

'This is not good for Mercy herself. What will she think when she discovers her people are wallowing in poverty?'

A representative for Madonna had not responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.