25 Apr 2018

Francistown will host a beauty pageant of its kind on May 5 themed: Miss Poverty Eradication.

  It is organised by Dipuo Mpuchane of Configuration Tour Agency.

Mpuchane said the Miss Poverty Eradication concept was inspired by former president Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama who strived to see Batswana out of poverty.

 She said the pageant would be used to sensitise Batswana, particularly the youth, on government’s poverty eradication programmes and how they could be accessed to relieve people from poverty.

She said the beauty pageant was their first option on their sensitisation strategies as it appealed to the youth better than calling them for kgotla meetings or any other formal places.

As it is their maiden project since their company launched, she highlighted that all their beauty pageant participants had been given the chance to take part in the event for free with no joining fee as was the norm with other pageants around the country.

 She said they had managed to register 18 girls who would battle it out for the title, adding that all young women between 18 and 21 years were allowed to participate in the pageant.

She noted that a pageant for those over 40 was also on the cards.The pageant has already found significant backing in Monarch South councillor, Baboni Mosalagae and Francistown West MP,  Ignatius Moswaane who got the event off the ground.

Edgars Fashion Store has also  shown interest to partner with the agency on the beauty pageant, but Ms Mpuchane noted that nothing concrete had been agreed between the two parties thus far. However, she said they were hopeful of something good from Edgars.

She called for more private companies and organisations to come on-board and support them in any way they could.

The event’s marketing personnel, Emily Modise stated that they had created a Facebook Page called ‘Configuration Tour Agency’ to attract more young people who use social media the most.

To push ticket sales, she said they had been to different schools to try and garner more support in ticket sales, adding that they were already on sale through the company’s Facebook page. Tickets, she explained, were selling quickly and they ranged from P20 for adults and P10 for children.

Entertainment will be provided by Bignose, Boiterg, Intro Boys and Skhotani Boys among others. ENDS