By Emily M'mangisa

Zomba, March 24, Mana: National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) Trust has called on political parties and other stakeholders in the country to be tolerant enough in the run-up to the 2025 tripartite elections.

NICE Trust District Programmes Officer for Zomba Kondwani Neba made the call at Machilinga ground, Traditional Authority Ntholowa during a community engagement meeting over the weekend.

He reminded people at Ntholowa that multiparty democracy is about the co-existence of political parties and other political organisations, saying democracy calls for an equal political playing field.

“If one person books a venue for political meetings for a month or more, is that democracy?" he wondered and called on those who have authority over venues to devise ways of ensuring that political players have equal opportunity to conduct political meetings as opposed to favouring one political party.

Neba also advised political parties and other political commentators to avoid hate speeches, saying this has the potential to ignite political violence.

“The product of hate speech is violence, violence has no room in a democratic dispensation," he observed.

Neba therefore said NICE Trust in Zomba will continue engaging various stakeholders in the electoral circle to advocate for a violent free electoral process.

In his remarks, Group village head Machilinga said there is a need to resolve inter-and intra-party conflicts through contact and dialogue.

A member of the Machilinga Village Development Committee, Margret Ng’oma said community leaders should be on the alert as political parties set for primary elections to choose party representatives to the national assembly and local authorities.

A cocommunity member, Raphael Muyenera, applauded Zomba NICE Trust for raising community awareness on principles of multi-party democracy.

NICE Trust in Zomba has embarked on a district-wide civic education campaign on issues to do with the general election slated for September 16, 2025.