Miss Botswana queens lack premium beauty appealing to Miss World judges
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Miss Botswana is a national beauty pageant in country formed in 1964 and holds a membership license of the most prominent beauty pageant Miss World. The pageantry runs parallel with the history of the country.
Even though there had been beauty contests conducted in various villages around the country in the early 1960s, the first Miss Botswana beauty contest was in 1967, conducted as part of Botswana independence celebrations. At the time, it was determined that the colourful first beauty event was going to ‘pick a perfect representative of the nation’s modern womanhood. Theresa Rantao satisfactorily met those requirements. She became the winner of the Miss Botswana 1967. Earlier in 1964, Veronica Magosi of Lobatse won the Miss Bechunaland crown. The following year, the crown was won by Lydia Tiyo.
Botswana made its debut at Miss World in 1972. Traditionally, the winner of Miss Botswana represents the country at Miss World. Taking you down the memory lane, Emma Wareus was crowned Miss World 2010, and she became the first Miss Botswana to place Top 3 at Miss World beauty pageant. She was the 1st runner up, subsequently becoming Miss World Africa. Karabo Sampson garnered the title in 2011, and she placed Miss World Top 20.
Miss Botswana 2012 and 2013 titles were scooped by Tapiwa Preston and Rosemary Keofitlhetse respectively. Seneo Mabengano won the title in 2015 and Thata Kenosi was Miss Botswana 2016. Nicole Gaelebale who placed Miss World Top 40 got the title in 2017, and 2018 it was scooped by Moitshepi Elias who then handed it over to Oweditse Phirinyane last year, who is currently the reigning Miss Botswana.
Oweditse just landed in the country few weeks ago from the 69th edition of Miss World which was held in London. For the past 10 years, Miss Botswana queens have been failing drastically to bring the crown home, or at least to place Top 20, in fact, the last placement in Top 20 was in 2011. Well, Mpule Kwelagobe was crowned Miss Universe 1999, but that is news for another day. Rumours say Botswana doesn’t hold the Miss Universe license, but some say a certain gentleman has the license and he is actually refusing to hand it over. I am still hunting him down, to get to understand why he feels fine with something we need for the sake of this country’s beauty pageants industry.
Anyway, in an exclusive interview with Weekend Life, beauty pageant enthusiast and analyst, who is also a public relations practitioner Morekolodi Smith said for the past decade, Botswana queens lacked preparation and the organisers have not figured out the formula. He says they are failing to figure out the formula for the Miss Botswana queens to place in the Miss World pageant.
‘’Out of the forty plus women that represented Botswana at Miss World, only one made it to Top 3, which is Miss Botswana 2010 Emma Wareus. I don’t know if I can say Botswana is a one hit wonder or what, but those that had been representing Botswana had no burning desire to bring glory to this country. Many of them lack the premium beauty that can appeal the Miss World judging panel.
In Miss World, there are fast track events, Top Model, Sport, Multimedia, Talent, Head-to-Head challenge as well as the most prize of them all Beauty with a Purpose. Botswana representatives were just basic and they were not a complete package. If I remember well, Emma Wareus made it to Top 20 Top Model and Top 20 beach fashion. She is the first Miss Botswana to place in two fast tracks and even performed Dances of the World’’ he said
Smith stressed that Miss Botswana judges do not know the Miss World competition format and the judging criteria. ‘’They are not industry experts and the competition does not give the audience the insider of the competition. Personally I don’t understand the Miss Botswana competition format, how judges select finalists without having fast track events. The judges are not doing a great job at all. Miss Botswana needs a runway coach, who will teach contestants cat walking skills and for them to have great stage personality.
The pageant also needs someone who will coach contestants on question and answer segment and interviews. A panel of judges should be there to judge every round of competition’’ Smith told Weekend Life. He advised that Miss Botswana pageant take place earlier so as to afford the queen enough time to get prepared for the intense Miss World competition, saying that the queen should make a greater impact here that should also be documented.
‘’She should travel the country and fundraise some charity events and the organisers need to work more on the pageant’s publicity, Miss Botswana should be hyped. This is a national competition; it needs a very creative director, production as well as the competition format. The production also has to have a concept that reflects Botswana. What they have been doing for the past 50 years is just basic’’
Further, Smith underlined that a panel of judges should be industry experts, such as sportsmen or women who know what it is like to represent a country, image architects who well know fashion trends and sense of style, former Miss Botswana queens, magazine editors as well as social media influencers. ‘’I would like to see Miss Botswana pageant execute the exact Miss World competition format. I want to see fast track events, head to head challenge, top model, sport, multimedia, talent and the people’s choice. It would be nice to see winners of these special events secure endorsement deals with some of the local brands, or corporates even.
Responding to why the queens have been failing at Miss World, Smith confidently indicated that it’s because they are not a comprehensive package and lack of preparation. He highlighted that Miss World crown is the ultimate prize but there is sport, talent and top model amongst others. ‘’The Asians, Philippines, Thailand and others are dominating pageants because they are prepared. A well prepared queen can at least advance in one of the fast tracks.
Miss Botswana queens have nothing to offer, they are not hard-core competitors because they are not prepared. They are failing because the pageant is held very late, that is two months before the Miss World. There is no time to do beauty with a purpose project, no time to design an exquisite evening gown and no one wins Miss World with just three weeks to prepare. The organization is also failing the queens’’
Smith said it is absurd for a queen to go compete in Miss World without a rigid beauty with a purpose project that is the heart and soul of the Miss World. There is so much that a Miss Botswana can do to help disadvantaged communities, Smith said. ‘’We still have areas in Botswana where people don’t have access to clean purified water, some are salty.
A project can be done to set a purifying plantation. Mophane worm is on the edge of extinction so a project can be done to set out hatcheries. The public also needs to be involved to assist Miss Botswana queen complete her projects and its critical the organization intensely recruit volunteers’’ In his own words, Smith feels Miss Botswana crown is obnoxious. ‘’The pageant has to unveil a new proper crown, not a tiara, even if they can replicate the Miss World crown, it’s still fine’’
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Mascom, Letshego partner to deliver the MyZaka instant loan
Letshego Botswana has recently partnered with Mascom to launch the Mascom MyZaka Instant Loan, a customer focused mobile money microloan service designed to provide customers with swift and convenient access to funds, driven by the underlying theme of “Ithuse” meaning “help yourself”
The loan is said to have been developed through a partnership driven by a deep customer focus with the key objectives of access, convenience and flexible financial support to customers of Letshego Botswana and Mascom through instantly disbursed short-term loans from P50 to P1 500 over the period of one month.
Letshego’s head of transformation, Molebogeng Malomo highlighted that working through agile methodologies, the partnership was able to develop and be released as what they call a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) or solution. “In keeping up with the spirit of design thinking and agile methodologies, the experiences and viewpoints of both Letshego Botswana and Mascom’s customers will be valuable to inform further enhancements to the Mascom MyZaka solution,” he said.
He further noted that the partnership and the development of the MyZaka instant loan will provide both the organizations to diversify their offering and customer base, while also offering the customer more choices and flexibility to initiate and be in control of their loan requests through the self-service mobile based application.
Mascom’s Chief Executive Officer, Dzene Makhwade-Seboni also alluded that their origins, priorities and initiatives are firmly rooted in Botswana and in the success of all Batswana, and that their strategy and intent is supported by embracing innovative problem-solving.
“The speed with which Letshego has grown over the years gives us confidence that we have partnered with the right service provider. Their expertise and most of all, innovation, a value we both share, will be beneficial to MyZaka Mobile Money for growth and for the convenience of our subscribers,” she concluded.
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DCEC granted warrant to arrest Khama twins
The Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) has been granted permission to apprehend the former Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Tshekedi Khama, and his twin brother Anthony Khama.
Information gathered by this publication suggests that the DCEC is actively searching for the Khama brothers, this is in connection with events that transpired whilst Tshekedi was Minister of Environment. The duo is currently in exile in South Africa together with their elder brother, and former President Lt Gen Ian Khama.
Approximately two weeks ago, the corruption-busting agency discreetly filed for an arrest warrant that was approved by the Broadhurst Magistrate Court for the two to be taken into custody, according to a highly placed source within the government enclave.
DCEC is also said to have filed an affidavit signed by a high-ranking officer known to this publication. Reports indicate that after being presented with details of the case, the Broadhurst magistrate issued the agency an arrest warrant.
It is also believed that the agency has been conducting extensive investigations into the supposed suspects for quite some time. Furthermore, Weekend Post has it on good word that the DCEC has been looking for methods to summon the two for questioning but has been unsuccessful.
According to unconfirmed reports, DCEC met with attorney Victor Ramalepa, who refused to accept the summons, saying that he is not their attorney. Furthermore, it is believed that DCEC has enlisted the assistance of the Botswana Police Service (BPS) in flagging the suspects’ names in the International Criminal Police Organisation INTERPOL.
Responding to WeekendPost enquiries, DCEC spokesperson Lentswe Motshoganetsi said, “I am not in good position to confirm or deny the allegation,” adding that such allegations may fall within the operational purview of the DCEC.
When contacted for comment, Ramalepa briefly stated that he is unaware of the purported arrest warrant. “I know nothing about the warrant and I haven’t been served with anything,” he said.
Meanwhile, former president Lt Gen Ian Khama recently issued a statement stating that DIS is intensifying the harassment and intimidation of him, family, friends and office employees.
“It is reprehensible for state officials and agencies to abuse government resources to terrorise their own citizens for personal gain,” said the former president in a statement.
He also stated that his brother TK’s staff and security were ordered to falsely implicate him. “Their desperate tactics will never work, it only serves to motivate me more to pursue regime change and free Botswana from tyranny,” he said
This comes after the corruption busting agency wants to interview the alleged suspects as they are still hiding in South Africa since last year.
Despite the hostility between government and Khama family going unabated, last month, Masisi extended an olive branch to Khama in political rally, indicating that he hopes the two of them settle their differences, of which the former responded by welcoming the gesture.
Khama further said his brother, Tshekedi, will facilitate the reconciliation of his behalf. Many have indicated that Masisi did not say what he said in good faith, and was only scoring political brownies since he was in Khama’s territory in Shoshong.
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DCEC’s Tshepo Pilane still has his mojo
Tshepo Pilane silenced his critics after being named the head of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) in May of last year and served his opponents humble pie. Many believed he would only last for a month, but almost a year later, he is still standing.
Pilane, a trained soldier whose appointment surprised both the general public and some officers within the DCEC walls, has never glanced back in his duty to steer the DCEC ship forward.
It is alleged that immediately after his appointment the man embarked on a nation-wide trip touring the DCEC offices across the country in order to confirm and reaffirm the DCEC’s mandate. Sources from inside the DCEC claim that Pilane won the hearts of many DCEC employees due to his humility and plain message; “people at the top of the DCEC will come and go but the mandate of the DCEC remains relevant and unchanged.”
Pilane was appointed the Acting DCEC Director General at a time when the organisation was undergoing turbulence through court proceedings in which the suspended Director General Tymon Katlholo had interdicted the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) from accessing the DCEC premises. At the time, the DIS had raided the DCEC offices in the absence of Katlholo claiming to be looking for high profile corruption cases allegedly held by Katlholo.
At the time Pilane was Head of the DCEC Intelligence Division holding the position of Senior Assistant Director General reporting directly to the Deputy Director General Operations Ms Priscilla Israel. Contrary to his detractors, Pilane who is a reserved and humble person by nature won the support and backing of many DCEC officers due to his unassuming nature.
In a recent questionnaire sent to the DCEC regarding Pilane’s term in office, the DCEC was resolute on its commitment towards the fight against corruption. When quizzed on allegations of rife corruption since he took over, Pilane through his Public Relations (PR) office stated that the corruption landscape in Botswana remains unchanged as the DCEC continues to receive reports on allegations of corruption with sectors such as procurement (tenders and supplies), Transport (licensing and certificates), and land (dubious allocation and collusion) still leading issues reported. This trend has been consistence in the DCEC database for more than 10 years.
When further quizzed on accusations that suggest that due to the infighting at the agency, particularly at the top management, Investigations of cases has dropped significantly the DCEC claimed ignorance to the matter, stating that they are not aware of any “infights” at the DCEC “at the top management”, further stating that, investigations of cases has increased significantly, contrary to the allegations raised. “The DCEC is currently seeking new ways of expediting the investigations in order to fast track its enforcement role,” said the DCEC Head of Public Relations Lentswe Motshoganetsi. He further stated that the DCEC is in pursuit of high profile cases involving money and assets valued over P900 million. Three companies are involved in the scandal and two cases have already been committed to court while on one, investigations are about to be completed.
When WeekendPost inquired about Pilane’s roadmap, the DCEC stated that in the past, anti-corruption interventions were reactive, particularly in dealing with national projects that involve large sums of money. It was further started that in most instances investigating such matters takes a long time and in most instances, the money looted form Government in never recovered. As a result, the DCEC has taken a deliberate stance to attach its officers from the Corruption Prevention Division to be part of the implementation of these projects before, during, and after implementation.
The DCEC cited the Economic Stimulus Programme which, although meant to grow the economy and uplift Batswana from poverty, yielded incidents of corruption and poor workmanship. To date, the DCEC is still grappling with cases as some projects were not done, or were completed with defects beyond repair. Currently the DCEC is involved at the Ministry of Education conducting project risk management in the Multiple Path Ways Program at Moeng College and Maun Senior School. This intervention will spread to other sectors of the economy as part of the DCEC’s corruption prevention strategy.
Of recent, the DCEC has been in the media for all the wrong reasons following leakage of high profile cases and allegations claiming that the executive management is at war with each other more particularly with some within the agency harbouring ambitions to dethrone Pilane from the Directorship.
Although the infighting was denied by Pilane’s Office, he acknowledged that leakage of information is a problem across Government and stated that it is a pain at the DCEC. He however stated that Staff has been cautioned against leakage of investigation information and that they have roped in the Botswana Police to assist in investigating incidents of leakage. He further stated that they have increased continuous vetting and lifestyle audits for DCEC employees in order to enforce discipline.
Pilane’s term comes to an end in May 2023 after serving the DCEC for a year on acting basis. It will be in the public interest to see who will be given the baton to continue the anti-corruption journey if Pilane’s contract is not renewed. The DCEC has seen arrival and departure of Director Generals having alternated the top seat five times in less than seven years.