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The 23-year-old beauty who has always envisaged taking part in the city’s most coveted modelling contest, is aiming to maintain the city’s status of being the hub of Zimbabwean beauty.
Speaking to Saturday Leisure, Dhlakama said she would labour to bring the glorious crown to the City of Kings.
“I will work tirelessly to bring the Miss Zimbabwe crown to Bulawayo,” said the model.

Dhlakama, who said she was denied the opportunity to contest at last year’s edition of the pageant, said she felt encouraged to have won the crown on her maiden appearance in the provincial pageant. She said it had always been her childhood dream to take up modelling.
“It had always been my wish to take part in the Miss Bulawayo pageant but last year I was disqualified in the pre-judging session as I was affiliated to the then sponsors of the Miss Zimbabwe, the Rainbow Tourism

Group. But I did not feel discouraged because I knew I would make it one day,” she said. Miss Dhlakama crowned Miss Bulawayo at a colourful ceremony held last weekend. The Bulawayo born model attended Nketa Primary School before moving on to Maranatha Adventist School again in Nketa suburb.
Dhlakama, who is an executive assistant and part time student with the Midlands State University, has a history of modelling as she took part in the Miss Teen Angel in 2006 before taking part in the Faces of Platinum Coaches a year after.

Although she did not win both pageants, she has remained optimistic that one day she will make it.
The queen, who hails from the same suburb with former Miss Bulawayo 2004, Lorraine Maphala, said it was not true that models were people of loose morals.
“It’s just a stereotype because it is a clash of characters. Each one of us behaves and lives a different life to the other so they must not paint us with the same brush,” she said. Miss Dhlakama said she draws inspiration from former models like Maphala, Happiness Tshuma, Sarah Mpofu-Sibanda and Vanessa Tshuma. Commenting on controversial model Lungile Mathe who has brought the name of the profession into disrepute by her actions lately, Dhlakama said:

“I am not affected by how other people live their lives.  I believe in myself and I believe there is always controversy everywhere,” she said.
Dhlakama took over from Miss Bulawayo 2010 Nadia Gori who is representing the country in the Miss Tourism International pageant in Malaysia.

She and two other finalists, Precious Dube and Valerie Chingonzo, face a mammoth task of raising the city’s status at the Miss Zimbabwe finals in February next year.
Gori and Mathe finished in the top 10 of the finals where they clinched the Miss Talent and Personality titles respectively this year.