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Bruce Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
AFTER churning out some of the country’s biggest names in modelling, Fingers Modelling Agency finally got recognition for its contributions when it walked away with the best modelling agency gong at the Zimbabwe Modelling Awards held at Crown Plaza Monomotapa hotel in Harare last weekend.

For the founder and head, Sarah Mpofu, the award is further vindication of the agency’s contributions to the country’s modelling scene. Unearthing talents that include Oslie Muringai (Miss Zimbabwe 2004), Lorraine Maphala (Miss Zimbabwe 2005) and Caroline Marufu (Miss Tourism Zimbabwe 2006), the agency has put the City of Kings on the modelling map.

“I feel the time was right for us to finally get some recognition. I wasn’t able to attend the ceremony, but when I got the news from my brother, Talent Mpofu, I wept,” she said.

Though the local modelling industry has been bedeviled by various controversies over the past few years, Mpofu says her agency has managed to remain the cream of the crop because of its ability to groom disciplined models. The modelling fraternity has been accused of being a driver of promiscuity, loose morals and the erosion of traditional customs.

“I don’t believe that modelling is just about the ramp. What we’ve done and continue to do as Fingers is to groom wholesome individuals that can make it in any arena. It doesn’t matter if you’re grooming models for a modelling show, or someone that wants to learn how to model for professional purposes, that person has to come out a better model after they have gone through our hands,” she said.

Mpofu, who has worked with the Miss Zimbabwe Trust since 1997, said although she was acknowledged for her contributions through the agency’s victory on Saturday, the true value of her work was not easily visible to the public.

“Fingers is not really a loud agency and we don’t usually blow our own horn. A lot of people in the modelling scene today have benefited one way or the other from our expertise.”

Mpofu said although they were located in Bulawayo, far away from the capital which is considered the country’s fashion and modelling nerve centre, the modelling agency had proved that it could punch above its weight and outshine better resourced agencies.

“We might be in Bulawayo but that doesn’t mean we shy away from competition. We believe that even if we send a ‘nobody’ to a national competition, that nobody should bear the Fingers stamp of quality,” she said.