02 Aug 2022

Three contestants for Mrs African World Botswana pageant on Saturday battled it out in a fashion show held to hype the October 1 grand finale.

The show saw Gosaitse Maboga winning the best Model award while Daphney Muzila walked away with the best celebratory gown title.

Best cultural wear was scooped by Keokopile Barapi.

The fashion show, which attracts married people, kicked off with contestants showcasing different designs from local designers, rocking gowns, traditional and sportswear as part of the build-up for the grand prize of P20 000 in October.

In an interview with the fans after the fashion show, one Masego Lebang said the platform allowed married women to exercise self-love and remember that the marriage status did not mean that they shouldn’t take part in beauty pageants,

She said she liked the fact that husbands were also allowed to take part in the pageant.

Tshepang Sebilo said he enjoyed seeing married women showing the world that they too could still rock the ramp.

He said this would change the narrative that married women could not take part in pageants.

Sebilo also said the competition would encourage young women not to shy away from marriage and learn that they could be whatever they wanted in life.

One of the directors of the pageant, Jennifer Setapenyane thanked guests for supporting the pageant, which she said was aimed at encouraging married women to be comfortable in their own skin and inspire others.

She appealed to public members to purchase tickets for the final event, and thanked the judges and sponsors for their support in the first ever Mrs African World Botswana pageant.

Judges were lawyer and pastor, Natasha Thompson, comedian Bambino Seloka aka MmaRabachanaki, actress and founder of certified cosmetic formulator Norma Nlanda, international model and professional makeup artist, Cendric Senna, director and founder of Kael Couture, Keneilwe Lesole, director of Nora Cosmetics, Norah Aslin.

The winner of the pageant will represent Botswana in Las Vegas, Nevada in the USA on 10-17 December 2022. ENDS