Old woman defies her body hit with stroke to vote in Chibanja- ward

BY SEBASTIAN NYIRENDA,

MEC STRINGER.

AN  82 –year- old woman on Tuesday shocked  fellow voters at the New Jerusalem centre in Chibanja ward in Mzuzu when she gathered courage and  defied  her ill health status to vote in the August 25 by-elections.

Nancy Chirwa was hit with stroke some two years ago, she has difficulties in walking but some relatives brought her by their vehicle to let her vote a candidate of her choice.

In an interview she said she loves her country hence she felt duty bound to defy her walking challenges to get to the centre and vote.

She said in an interview she does not want this country to be messed up by bad leaders hence her decision to vote.

Party monitors of other political groupings  including the Malawi Electoral Commission supervisor for the centre Davis Kumwenda  gave her opportunity to vote first even if she came a bit late than other registered voters.

“I love my country, for I don’t want to be ruled by bad leaders hence I defied my health status to vote for a candidate of my choice,” Chirwa said in an interview.

She is one of the 6296 registered voters  in Chibanja ward.

MEC is conducting the by-elections to give room to residents of the ward to choose another councilor to push for developments in the council following the death of Charles Nyirongo who they elected in the May 20, 2014 Tripartite Elections.

Alliance for Democracy’s Gibson Chisale, Democratic Progressive party’s George Manda, Mafundes’ Ulaya Kaunda, Esmey Jere of Umodzi party, Charles Mlogera  of the Malawi Congress and an independent candidate Mike Phiri are the ones to battle for the Local Government polls.

Caption: Nancy Chirwa

Picture credit: Sebastian Nyirenda