Vusumuzi Dube
Sibongile Ndiweni, Sunday Life Reporter
BULAWAYO bred Patience Tangirai who was crowned Miss Ecotourism Africa in April at the ZITF is working on initiating a campaign that focuses on the restoration and promotion of wetlands in Africa while paying particular attention to Sustainable Development Goal 14 which is talks of life under water.
Her project comes with her full appreciation and acknowledgement of the Miss Ecotourism World International Competition theme which is preservation of natural areas while promoting tourism which is aimed at upgrading ecotourism areas into sustainable sites that bring income to the community that they are situated in.
Guided by the understanding of the saying that charity begins at home, the newly crowned queen will also focus on protecting wetlands in Bulawayo, the likes of Hillside Dams, as well as Cowdray Park and Nkulumane which are at inception phase as they are in need of more funds.
Speaking to Sunday Life, Mthokozisi Masuku who is Patience’s spokesperson under the Ada brand said as an advocate, Patience seeks to bring to the table sponsors and prospective partners who are willing to work together with her in line with National Development Strategy 1 (NDS-1) key result area.
“We have been advertising the advocacy amongst environmentalists, visiting schools and various government offices as well as attending fellow environmental awareness campaigns, to try and make everything possible for Patience’s project to be a success, for her to have a programme that she would have achieved during her reign as Miss Ecotourism Africa,” he said.
The 20-year-old Miss Ecotourism Africa is a charismatic, energetic and bubbly young lady who broke into the modeling industry this year when she first took part in a modelling competition at the Bulawayo Polytechnic where she is pursuing her studies in accounting and finance. When she became a second runner-up in the competition, she decided to embrace her modelling passion and took part in the Miss Ecotourism Zimbabwe.
She was then spotted by national as well as international directors who realised her potential and she was eventually crowned the Miss Ecotourism Africa.
Bongani Ndlovu