ZTA sets the record straight

pageant we announced that we were no longer going to organise the event and subsequently we amicably handed over the pageant to the Miss Zimbabwe Trust, which is now running the show.
However, recent reports have misconstrued both our current position regarding the next edition of the Miss Zimbabwe and the reasons why we disengaged, in the first place. I wish to categorically state that the ZTA does not have any regrets whatsoever for having been involved in the pageantry. In fact, we are proud of having made sure that it survived through these years as a brand sought-after by many Zimbabweans and we could tell by the overcrowding at the holding venues. When we took over, we repackaged, rebranded and remodelled the pageantry to suit our national brand.
We did this to add spur to our core mandate of marketing this tourist destination, Zimbabwe a World of Wonders, while at the same time advancing our corporate social responsibility programme through the empowerment of the girl child and supporting the social programmes of the reigning queen. Admittedly, this strategy worked very well as it met with our set objectives.
To this end, ZTA is very proud of its involvement and management for six consecutive years, dating back to 2006. We took over when it was Miss Zimbabwe and we changed it to Miss Tourism Zimbabwe for five years and then back to Miss Zimbabwe in the sixth year.
We took over because we they had failed to get sponsorship and we did not want it to die. We were approached by the patron Kiki Divaris, whom I must say is a good character we worked with well for the entire period.
We have, however, decided that we can no longer continue. We have played our part. We were spending an average of US$700 000 per year on the pageant. This is the total we were spending, including contributions from the industry, Government and all other stakeholders.
Today, we are very happy, that even some sections of the media who led a bandwagon of critics in chastising ZTA for its involvement have had a change of heart and are appreciating the role that we played for the survival of the pageant, especially under harsh economic conditions that prevailed. As chief executive, I will not elaborate on the benefits accrued by the contestants and the country at large under the ZTA banner but they were there for all to see.
Contrary to speculation by some sections of the society including the media, our involvement in the pageant had the full blessings of the Government. This was evidenced by the financial support extended by the Ministry of Finance and the presence of the government officials at various stages of the pageant and mainly at the occasions of the finals.
In 2006 the president of the Senate Cde Edna Madzongwe was the guest of honour at the grand finale of the pageant and several ministers as well as other senior government officials in recent years, continued to give presentations on various topics to the contestants in camp. This is clear Government endorsement at highest level and not politicisation as alleged by some critics.
In the previous years, some sections of the media criticised the crowning of the national queen, saying it lacked the real authority and honour symbolic with a real queen. In this scope the ZTA courted the involvement of the military, the Presidential Guards in particular. The Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, President Mugabe through the Commander of Zimbabwe National Army, Lieutenant General Philip Sibanda, gave the authority for the involvement of the army who on three successive years saluted the national queen.
The quarter guard mounted by the Presidential Guard to the national queen during the crowning ceremony is a preserve of decorated leaders and was a befitting honour to the queen. This honour should not be misconstrued for militarisation of the pageantry. ZTA does not have any regrets or apologies to make for having worked with our defence forces to add prestige and honour to the national pageantry.
In the wake of recent reports in the papers where ZTA’s role regarding the next pageant has been questioned, I wish to re-affirm our position that the ZTA handed over the pageant to Miss Zimbabwe Trust and that position has not changed. The Miss Zimbabwe Trust is running the show and we have not been involved in any way. We have read in the papers that the organisers are facing various challenges but we can’t substantiate that because they have not approached us.
The ZTA will not seek relevance in this project. If approached we will definitely take the request into consideration and assess the feasibility and level of supporting them.
However, I am not saying they must come to us. As outlined by our Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Cde Walter Mzembi, we also do not want the pageant to die and we believe it will not die under the hands of the new organisers and indeed with the support of the corporate world and other stakeholders.

l Karikoga Kaseke is the chief executive of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.