THE annual Miss Zimbabwe UK pageant takes place in Luton on Saturday night, organisers announced.
The best of Zimbabwean beauty will be on show at the pageant which is organised by the ZimExpo Business Consortium.
It is the seventh time the pageant is held in the UK – a key fixture of the ZimExpo Business Exhibition which is also held in Canada and the United States.
Outgoing Miss Zimbabwe UK Vanessa Hadebe will be at hand to crown the new queen at Luton’s Riverside Conference Centre.
It’s been an eventful year for the sultry Vanessa who was barred from taking part in the Miss Zimbabwe finals in Harare last year after the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority changed the rules.
Only Zimbabweans resident in the country can now take part in the national pageant – the ZTA says because foreign-based beauty queens will not have as much time to participate in national events and raise money for charity.
Vanessa, who held a fundraising dinner during her reign, travelled to Zimbabwe last year and handed over US$300 and 12 mattresses to the Mpilo Hospital Paediatric Ward.
The 21-year-old student says she will continue to support the hospital even after her reign ends.
“I chose Mpilo Hospital because it is one of the largest referral hospitals in the country and a lot of people are admitted there. I grew up in Bulawayo and I take pride in doing my bit, paying back,” Hadebe said.
Former Radio 2 stars Ezra Tshisa Sibanda and Eric Knight will host Saturday’s pagent.
Miss Zimbabwe UK 2010 takes place at the Riverside Conference Center, 20 Gipsy Lane, Luton, LU1 3JH, from 8PM on Saturday, August 28. Entry is £20.