adminAuxilia Katongomara Entertainment Correspondent
A TOTAL of 11 beauties, including Miss Bulawayo, have been disqualisfied from the Miss Zimbabwe 2013 race as they have failed to meet minimum standards of the international modelling competition.Only seven from 18 finalists drawn from the country’s 10 provinces are still in the competition and the organisers are scouting for more girls who meet the criteria set by the Miss Zim Trust and the Miss World organisers.
The Miss Zim Trust requires that finalists be 1,72 metres tall, with a hip size of 99cm and below, as well as being 60kg and below.
Unfortunately, all the 11 finalists were short and overweight and as such they bowed out of the race.
In an interview, patron of the Miss Zim Trust, Mary Mubaiwa-Chiwenga said they had begun scouting for more girls as the majority failed to meet the standards of the pageant.
“So far, we have managed to get 11 more girls, but we are still looking for more as most of the girls that won in the provinces were short and overweight such that they did not meet the requirements of both the Miss Zim and Miss World Criteria.
Mubaiwa-Chiwenga said the Miss World finals was a serious competition where the finalists were required to meet the stipulated criteria.
“We do not just want a beautiful girl, but one who has all the requirements, it is imperative for us to send a girl who will fail us and even fail to make it into the top 10,” said Mubaiwa-Chiwenga.
The former Supermodel took a swipe at provincial licence holders whom she accused of causing the setback.
“I want to blame the provincial licence holders for failing to get the right girls with the expected requirements. We told them when we gave them the right to host the provincial finals what we expected, but we were surprised to see girls who are 1,65 metres tall here and eventually we dropped them,” said Mubaiwa-Chiwenga.
Miss Zim Trust secretary Sibusisiwe Mazibuko said auditions were still open to all beauties that have the above requirements.
“We still need more girls, about 12 who are interested in taking part in the Miss Zimbabwe pageant.
“We had others who had the required height, but overweight and they have said they are going back to work on their weight, we are not forcing anyone to lose their weight, it’s their choice if they still want to take part in the pageant,” said Mazibuko.
She said they were also working on getting all provinces represented in the competition.
Mazibuko said Miss Bulawayo 2013 Mellissa Chaka was 1,68 metres tall and was out of the competition.
Finals of the Miss Zimbabwe pageant would be held on 16 August at the Bushman’s Rock in Harare.
Miss Zimbabwe 2011 Malaika Mushandu is one of the few models who made it into the top five of the Miss World finals and is 1,82 metres tall.
Mubaiwa-Chiwenga, who recently took over the running of the national pageant from Kiki Divaris, has embarked on a concerted drive to rebrand the country’s flagship beauty contest.
Online Reporter