THE troubled Miss Zimbabwe pageant lurched into a new crisis as it was revealed that contestants were evicted from a Harare lodge after organisers failed to pay for their accommodation.
The 34 finalists were brought together for a photo-shoot, and organisers secured them accommodation at the Palm Lodge.
But the hotel’s manager Moses Manyengavana says they ejected the group after just two days when the Miss Zimbabwe Trust - currently trying to raise US$500,000 for this year's pageant - failed to settle its bill.
"When they came, I told the organisers I wanted cash up front but they requested to have the girls booked in and then pay a few hours later. I allowed them in but I never saw any one of the organisers,” Manyengavana said.
"When I tried to call them, they were not picking up their phones. I am not at liberty to talk about the figures, but I need the money.”
The girls, Manyengavana revealed, were denied meals at the lodge owing to the payment issues.
The Miss Zimbabwe Trust, the licence holders for the competition, are organising this year’s event after the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) put together the last six.
It was to the ZTA that Palm Lodge turned to when he failed to locate the show’s organisers.
ZTA chief Karikoga Kaseke said: “I was approached by the manager at the lodge but I told him to consider writing off the debt because as far as I know, these guys are bankrupt. They have no money."
Yvonne Chiwara, the Miss Zimbabwe Trust boss and licence holder, referred questions to Gerald Mashonga, recently appointed as spokesman for this year’s event.
Mashonga told the Herald: "There are many stakeholders involved and I cannot comment at the moment. You see, there are different levels of involvement.”
Organisers announced last week that they were struggling to raise US$500,000 to put together the event which is scheduled for March 23.