A BULAWAYO man upstaged nine others to win the Mr Ugly title at a weekend pageant.
Thirty-year-old Austin Mbewe won R1,200 and a blanket at the contest held last Saturday in the border town of Beitbridge.
"I feel honoured by this victory," Mbewe told the Herald newspaper after winning the title.
"I have been a subject of ridicule from society since childhood and the world has seen that there is a beautiful side to my ugliness."
The Herald said Mbewe was “undoubtedly the deserving winner”.
Organiser Lovemore Chonzi said: "Basically, the competition is meant for people to have fun and celebrate who they are, just like any other contest in the world."
The competition, which is in its third year, has the blessing of the National Arts Council and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.
Fifteen men had been originally scheduled to participate, but six “developed cold feet at the eleventh hour”, Chonzi said.
The winner was chosen by a panel of female judges.
Two runners-up -- Kudakwashe Chiramba, 45, of Beitbridge and Chitova Chezhira, 39, of Masvingo -- won 600 rand and 500 rand respectively, and a blanket each.
A similar competition is being planned for the capital Harare on Monday.
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Past winner ... Peter Chikomakoma won Mr Ugly in 2009