Online Reporter
Arron Nyamayaro
ZIMBABWE Modelling Industry Association vice-president, Wilbert Rukato, has accused national pageant organisers of unprofessional conduct.
These include late payment of prize money, unfair treatment of models and a troubling pattern of putting “ego and spotlight” above everything else.
In a blistering open letter, Wilbert Rukato questioned whether the industry was being run like a business, or like a private project, where models carry the cost while organisers capture the glory.
“Why do you guys wait for weeks or months without giving winners their prizes?” he asked.
“Why do you organise national pageants without fully disclosing prizes in advance? How clean is your funding… and are you doing enough to protect models from sponsorship-based influence?”He argued that the lack of transparency makes the whole system look rigged, especially for grassroots models and the agencies that bet their reputation, and sometimes their savings, on contestants.
“Why do you refuse to recognise, appreciate and remunerate the many agencies who groom the models you use?”
He said professionals only get real income when models get real rewards.
“People who work with models get paid when the models they work with get paid. That is the professional worldwide standard.”
He claimed that even when agencies provide models, organisers sometimes fail to offer basic support such as tickets or seating. “Models spend a lot cash in preparation… and sometimes they don’t make it. Don’t you think participation fees are a good motivation?”
He compared current practice to earlier Zimbabwe pageant culture, describing past leadership as more model-friendly.
He cited a past Miss Tourism Zimbabwe initiative where contestants were offered money and employment opportunities, saying today’s organisers should learn from that kind of value creation.
The letter also demanded clarity on what happens after queens hand over their crowns.
“What plans do you put in place for outgoing queens, surely you could help them to secure employment?”
He accused organisers of lagging behind modern judging methods too.
“Why have you not migrated to electronic judging systems?”
“Have you noticed that the industry is not producing new models lately?”
The letter warns that until pageantry becomes an economy—with real monetisation, transparent prize systems, and professional collaboration—the industry will keep growing in the wrong way.
He said there will be more pageants, more scandals, and more heartbreak.
“Until a real economy is created around pageantry… the only growth… will be an increase in the number of so-called national pageants and creation of scandals that kill the dreams of our local models.”
Rukato is a board member of the Modelling Industry Watchdog Zimbabwe (MIWZ) and deputy president of the Zimbabwe Modelling Industry Association (MIAZ).
“Let’s hope 2027 will be better.’
He called for fair funding, timely prize money payment, better support for the queens, and meaningful recognition and remuneration for the professionals who do the real work behind the scenes.
“Organisers please incentivise your models adequately including every other industry expert.”
