Joyce Banda takes a leaf from Bingu wa Mutharika as she throws a feast for vendors

President Joyce Banda on Sunday threw a feast for Blantyre vendors in a move that mirrors the moves of her predecessor Bingu wa Mutharika.

The feast held at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre was attended by over 3,000 youths and mainly comprised of ruling party PP sympathisers including the Blantyre market vendors and car dealers.

The Malawi presidents have a penchant for garnering vendor support. Bingu wa Mutharika used such feasts to placate vendors, lecture them and draw them to support his anti-western, anti-IMF rhetoric.

Mutharika also introduced a programme for distributing loans to the youth that was badly managed and mostly benefited DPP sympathisers.

Joyce Banda seems keen to follow the same trend.