26 Sep 2017

Luthando Ratau was on September 23 crowned Miss Independence Kgatleng (MIK) Queen after a night of tough competition and tough job set for the judges by the contestants, who displayed their talent on the night.

It was a night of glitz and glamour at Ledingwana Lodge with a cool sensational breeze from the spring weather with sizzling sounds of Charma Girl’s Mosepele wa Lerato playing on the background, leading the eight ladies onto the stage with their Sekgatla outfits to give a foretaste of what to expect.

It was then that the 20-year-old Makakatlela beauty displayed that beauty is not on the outside, but rather what captivates the soul of the people, bringing smiles to the audience with her eccentric walk and natural beauty.

She seemed to be less worried by the other contestants as she continued shining among them with her dancing talent, leading the pack into an aerobics routine as one of the parades they staged for the pageant.

Things then got heated up, with contestants showcasing the beach life in their swim suits with beach balls, chairs and drinks, capturing the hearts of the audience to become the eyewitness’s favorites.

Ratau came with her paws out like a diva earning much of the anticipated attention from the crowd with cheers and screams overpowering the sound to show much delight to what she was doing.

The dazzling night came to a standstill when the girls came out looking angelic in their white evening dresses to make eye witnesses moment interesting.

It was then that the beauty with brains challenge emerged.

Ratau stood above all, oozing with much confidence, radiating through her smile to deliver the best answers to the two questions directed at her and others, leaving the audience in astonishment and being the favorite for the night.

The Queen was surrounded by her princesses; Queen Sebako and Karen Tladi who were crowned first and second princess respectively, a unanimous decision by the judges.

Ms Ratau said she would love to carry comprehensive sex education as one of her projects to help curb teenage pregnancy as it still continues to be a trend among schools in Kgatleng and also in the country.

She said it brings smile to her face to finally see the hard work that she put into the contest finally paying off as she spent sleepless nights and had a lot to learn about cultural dishes and milking at the camp, which was her favorite in the competition.

Ratau gave uttermost praises to the director of the pageant, Lebopo Bulayani, saying she did all in her power to motivate and encourage them to stay true to who they are and where they come from and even went an extra mile at the boot camp putting into action what she taught them about sekgatla culture.

The pageant, which was held under the theme Inception of Culture, saw eight contestants parading in African print, mogagolwane and also another parade in makgabe having contestants show Sekgatla culture like traditional dance.

Bulayani said the pageant was on its third year now and they are impressed by the support from councillors, chiefs and all the stakeholders involved who have been a part of their journey.

She said the question and answer during the pageant showed just how well groomed the contestants were because they oozed so much confidence when they gave out their answers and walked on stage.

Bulayani extended her gratitude to the sponsors of the event, adding that it was because of them that they were where they were and hoped they continued providing support to other activities hosted by the MIK organisation.

She thanked Samket for giving the Queen a tablet and smartphones to the first and second princess, Clicks Pharmacy, which gave out vouchers worth P3 500 to top 3, Club ViewTours for taking the queen for a weekend trip to Suncity, Distell Botswana for covering the event venue and also giving out wines for VIP and Neelo’s Wellness for taking all contestants to Sandton for leadership training.

Bulayani said they were now looking forward to 2018 and making sure the MIK brand got much bigger and better by making early preparations for next year and encouraged companies and individuals to come forward and assist where they could.

Mlesho took to the stage with his hit song and dance move Tlhomela as everyone stood on their feet and danced to the hit.

Also among the entertainers was Yuntainment group, Manika, Excel Jaivas, Mtizman. ENDS