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ZTA turns Miss Zimbabwe into a sham
By
Torby Chimhashu
THEY came, cheered,
booed and laughed as Zimbabwe witnessed perhaps what will go down in
history as one of the worst Miss Zimbabwe finals.
Yes, there was an exuberant crowd and topnotch comperes in Barney Mpariwa and Tich Mataz.
The duo took us back in time when they used to co-host popular talent search programme - Star Brite - on television in the early 1990s.
On Saturday, the guys were back to their best at the Harare International Conference Centre where they defied age to give a good account of themselves.
But Tich and Barney where not the reason why the appreciative crowd that paid through the nose, gathered at the HICC.
The occasion was the grand finale to choose Zimbabwe's top beauty queen.
In all honesty, the finals were a sham.
To borrow a word from a colleague - the Miss Tourism Zimbabwe finalists - most of them anyway, were like grasshoppers.
They did not show the qualities that we had seen previously.
There was no one who could compete or be compared with Angeline Musasiwa or better still, who could be likened to Brita Masalethulini, who was one of the judges on the night.
It came as no surprise that what was expected to be a bevy of beauty was reduced to a political parade of innocent models.
For the first time, the finalists were not shown in swim wear. The swim wear session was held in camera on Thursday.
What a shame!
The reason given by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) was that there was no decency in showing families watching on television models strutting the ramp in swim wear.
No point in arguing with organisers whose understanding of modelling lies in hobknobbing with politicians and giving conflicting statements to the press.
Since taking over the running of the pageant, the ZTA, whose website contains serious errors and bad English, has done little to placate doubting Thomases who believe that the pageant has gone to the dogs.
Firstly, the ZTA announced that 46 models would participate on Saturday but it turned out to be wrong.
A total of 32 participants was officially announced as finalisrts during a media tour of resorts last week.
One wonders how many "official" statements are to be made concerning one event.
Secondly, the ZTA misled journalists when it said Miss Zimbabe South Africa, Canada, UK and Miss Zimbabwe US, had pulled out of the pageant.
Miss Zimbabwe South Africa, according to organisers had not been held on time, and therefore there was no slot for her.
Miss Zimbabwe UK, Faith Matambanashe who flew into Zimbabwe for the finals in advance, was surprised by media reports that she had pulled out.
The ZTA did nothing to correct the misleading information that had been released to journalists.
"I don’t know where people got that from (the story of her no-show). Of course, Miss Zim Canada and Miss Zim USA did not come, but as you can see, I am here. I was actually among the first models to go into camp," she told a Sunday newspaper.
The ZTA's credibility received further knocks when Garikayi Mushambadope, the chief executive of Solution First Media — the company running all the Miss Zimbabwe titles in the Diaspora — told the same weekly paper that it was not true that Miss Canada and Miss US, had pulled out because of "personal" reasons.
It urned out that the ZTA had bungled by including them on the list of finalists yet the duo was over-aged.
Mushambadope said: "Miss Zim USA and Canada are over the age limit and therefore could not take part. "
But while the ZTA -- which believes that the Miss Tourism Zimbabwe Caroline Marufu will bring tourists back to Zimbabwe -- bungled, there was no denying the winner her greatest moment.
The Bulawayo-based school teacher was perhaps a good choice given the crop that fought for the once coveted crown on Saturday.
She showed confidence, grace, attitude and elegance in a show which spilled into the wee hours of Sunday morning owing to the inclusion of many musical groups and broadcasting delays.
Marufu, who said it is not going to be an easy job trying to lure tourists to Zimbabwe as part of marketing tourism, made sure that the title remains in Bulawayo.
It was justice to the City of Kings for it has always been the nursery for models, who, at times, were unfairly treated in major competitions.
In 2001, Angeline Munyeriwa, participating in the Miss Zimbabwe finals on the strength of being Miss Bulawayo, was robbed when judges made her share the top prize with Hararian Krystelle Dollie.
That was as scandalous as the decision to include Leslie Gwindi in that panel who wielded a lot of influence in judging.
But Marufu's predeccessor, Lorraine Tsoanele Maphala, who was wearing number 14 when she won the Miss Zimbabwe title, restored pride to Bulawayo and Matabeleland.
Maphala herself had been robbed at Miss Malaika Zimbabwe finals on September 13, 2003, when she was adjudged to have failed in the pre-judging session.
There was an outcry as the audience threw beer cans and bottles at judges. Sadly they could not rescinnd their decision.
Maphala was wearing tag number 14 which received when she participated in the Miss Zimbabwe finals two year later -- 2005.
While it is congratulations to Marufu for winning the Miss Tourism Zimbabwe 2006 and her two princesses - Mitchelle Makanza and Vongai Mushowe - there is still a question marks on the involvement of the ZTA and its ability to lure tourists back to Zimbabwe banking on a beauty queen.
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