Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
PREPARATIONS for the Miss Tourism Zimbabwe (MTZ) Bulawayo finale taking place this weekend are at an advanced stage with organisers saying the pageant’s queens from other provinces are expected to attend.
The pageant will be held at Rainbow Hotel this Saturday from 6PM.
The Bulawayo competition will mark the end of the MTZ regional finals.
As a build up to the pageant, the MTZ Bulawayo finalists held a road show around the city last Saturday where they interacted with people. From the road show, they went to Hartsfield Tshisanyama for a braai and further interacted with people there.
MTZ Bulawayo licence holder, former Miss Big is Beautiful Nobesuthu Masango said everything was going according to plan.
“So far, I’ve not had any problem as things are moving along smoothly. The venue has been secured and entertainment is being finalised by 3D Events who are in charge of that.
“What’s left is for people to come and witness Bulawayo crowning its most beautiful lady who’ll be a tourism ambassador,” said Masango.
She said 22 models comprising of university students and professionals will battle it out on the day.
“I’m happy with the calibre of models that’ve been chosen. Initially, 25 models were meant to participate but three dropped out without giving reasons, perhaps the competition became too stiff for them.”
Tickets to the regional final are already on sale at Fingers Modelling Academy and Hartsfield Tshisanyama and are going for $10 (ordinary) and $20 VIP.
Sarah Mpofu-Sibanda, the national licence holder, said they were expecting licence holders from other regions and their queens to attend.
“Most of the regional licence holders are coming down to see what Bulawayo has to offer. They perhaps want to bring their queens to check out their competition.
“This is a positive move though as it shows that there’s unity of purpose within the industry. In the end, we want the best model from Zimbabwe to represent the nation at the global competition,” said Mpofu-Sibanda.
Bulawayo will host the national finals on September 8 with the theme being Unveiling the Beauty of Zimbabwe. The venue is yet to be secured.