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Melissa Mpofu Showbiz Editor
MISS World Zimbabwe 1st Princess, Annie Grace Mutambu will be crowned Queen next week Saturday, replacing Emily Kachote who was dethroned on Tuesday following her leaked nude pictures.

The Miss Zimbabwe Trust, which went mum about the nudes for a month, finally made a decision to dethrone Kachote after discovering that the model had indeed posed nude — which is a violation of the pageant’s rules and regulations.

Her nude pictures were leaked to the public barely a week into her reign, forcing the Trust to investigate the matter further.

Kachote’s downfall did not come as a surprise to many as the beauty, who was crowned at a glamorous pageant in Shamva in April, had a bad start to her reign.

She had been humiliated by many who labelled her ugly and unworthy to represent the country at a global event.

Miss Zimbabwe Trust spokesperson, Tendai Chirau said Kachote had left them with no option but to unseat her as she had gone against the Trust’s code of conduct.

“We advised the models beforehand not to enter the contest if they’d taken nude pictures. They all signed documents declaring that they’d never posed nude,” said Chirau.

He said the Trust was strict with the models in compliance with the Miss World standards.

Miss World Zimbabwe regulation Number 5 reads: Winners of the Miss World Zimbabwe beauty pageant must not have posed nude professionally or socially in all forms of media.

“We’re being guided by the statutes of Miss World on the issue of nude pictures. Being in a relationship, making sexual advances towards anyone and any behaviour categorised as immoral by the Miss Zimbabwe Trust is grounds for instant disqualification and dethronement. The Miss Zimbabwe Trust follows its rules religiously and Emily’s behaviour was deemed inappropriate by the Trust’s executive board hence her dethronement.”

The organisers of the pageant have set the crowning ceremony for the new Queen for June 20 at the Miss World Zimbabwe home in Harare.

There, Mutambu will be unveiled to members of the public and also receive her prizes.

“We’d not yet handed over prizes to Emily so these are the prizes that we’ll give to the new Queen next week Saturday. The prizes will be disclosed then,” Chirau said.

Mutambu’s prizes will include a vehicle. The Miss Zimbabwe Trust is yet to make a decision on whether or not she will keep the car after completing her reign — if she completes it.

Probed if the new queen had no nude pictures, Chirau said they had done their investigations and ensured she did not have any.

“All this time we’ve been engaging with the new Queen, doing our checks, asking her about nude pictures. After the investigation, we know for certain that she doesn’t. We’re, however aware that there’re mischievous people out there who’re in the business of creating fake images. We’re on the lookout for such people,” he said.

Mutambu will now represent Zimbabwe at the Miss World contest to be held on December 19 at the Crown of Beauty Theatre in Sanya, China.

If last year’s events are anything to go by, Kachote’s dethronement could be an indicator of more drama to unfold, turning the pageant into a farce.

Last year, the Miss Zimbabwe Trust had to crown three queens after similar circumstances.

The first Queen, Thabiso Phiri resigned unceremoniously while her replacement, Catherine Makaya was dethroned for her unbecoming behaviour, days after being crowned.

The 1st Princess, Tendai Hunda, who was handed the crown, survived the chop and made her way to the United Kingdom for the Miss World pageant a few days after taking the crown.

When she returned home, not many people were interested in her following her shoddy performance at the global pageant.