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Catherine Makaya

Simbarashe Mutizwa Showbiz Reporter
MISS Zimbabwe, Catherine Makaya, is in Bulawayo where she is being taught how to dance as she prepares for the Miss World beauty pageant to be held on December 14 in London, England.
Yesterday, Makaya met multi-award winning Iyasa dance group at the Entumbane Hall and spent the greater part of the morning practising various isitshikitsha and dine dance routines.

The model said she had decided to polish up her act in Bulawayo as the city is known as the country’s hub of the arts.

“Iyasa is teaching me how to dance as they are one of the country’s best dance groups. I am going to use these dances during a talent show which will be held at the Miss World pageant,” Makaya said.

“My routine which will be called a Zimbabwean dance will entail two dances, one from the Shona culture and another from the Ndebele culture.”

Speaking on preparations for the Miss World contest, Makaya said preparations were going on well and promised to raise the country’s flag high. She is expected to leave the country for the UK on November 16 to join over 100 other models who will also be vying for the most coveted crown.

Iyasa’s founder and director, Nkululeko Innocent Dube, said it was an honour for their group to give the national queen dance lessons. He described Makaya as an astute student and a fast learner considering that she had never done such a thing before.

“We took her through a two-hour practice session and she caught on well. I believe that she will do well at the Miss World finale,” Dube said.

The beauty queen began her tour of the city on Monday at Deloitte & Touche where she had an opportunity to meet the city’s influential businesspeople. Through her Catherine Makaya Foundation for the less privileged, the beauty gave an informative presentation stating how businesses could use her foundation to further their corporate social responsibility arms. Yesterday, she had an opportunity to spend time with the Interact Club at Hamilton Secondary School where she delivered motivational speeches.

Tomorrow, the model will visit Precious Life Foundation where she will donate clothes to children.

Ever since she took over from Thabiso Phiri who resigned as Miss Zimbabwe a few months ago, Makaya has been involved in a number of charity activities in different parts of the country.

As part of her Beauty with a Purpose project, the national queen said she had plans to empower sex workers from Epworth in Harare through educating them.

“I have a passion for the girl child so I am going to be helping the girls who were reported to have been used as sex workers in Epworth.

“I am going to empower them through giving them education and put them in the Catherine Makaya Foundation so that we work together to assist less privileged people,” she said.

Miss World Talent is a fast track competition in the Miss World pageant where a number of contestants show their abilities in singing, dancing and poetry.

The most talented model automatically secures a spot in the semi-finals. The country’s models including Lorraine Maphala, Malaika Mushandu and Vanessa Sibanda have generally impressed in that category.

Last year, Zimbabwe was not represented at the Miss World pageant as there was no national queen.

Miss Zimbabwe 2012, Bongani Dhlakama is the one who last represented the country in that contest in 2012. She did not go far.