Mangochi dramatists in by-elections drive

The National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) Trust in Mangochi has said it has a crucial role to play ahead of August 25 2015 by-elections and has since vowed to use every available means to woo people to register and vote during the elections. Nice made the vow recently at Kalonga Village in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Mponda in the district when the organisation engaged TIPACE Theatre to create a platform with eligible people to entice them to register and verify their names in the voters’ roll so that they vote during the by-elections. Speaking during the sensitization campaign,

Mangochi Nice Civic Education Officer Turner Banda said apart from football match they decided to use drama because experience has shown that drama is also another crowd-puller. “During the registration period which runs from July 15 to 19 and of course the entire remaining period, we have lined up a litany of activities. Apart from drama we are also organising football bonanzas as this is another tool of cajoling potential electorate,” said Banda. He added: “Besides, we are doing door-to-door campaign which is also known as Ntchembere zandonda. We also have night criers; we are distributing leaflets to mosques and churches.” Banda further explained that a successful and credible registration drive would result in greater chances of en masse turnout during the by-elections. With the engagement of the dramatists to sensitise people to the merits of taking part in a vote, inquisitive voters, who said they would not take part in the voting exercise on August 25 this year, went home a converted lot. The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) will on August 25 this year hold by-elections in five wards namely: Msikizi Ward in Mangochi Town Council, Luchenza Ward in Luchenza Municipality, Zomba Central Ward in Zomba City, Chibanja Ward in Mzuzu City and Khwawa Ward in Karonga District following the death of councillors.