IN January last year, one of Zimbabwe’s finest beauty queens, Malaika Mushandu, had her hitherto impeccable track record stained after some of her pictures in the nude were leaked into the public through social media.
BY WINSTONE ANTONIO
The turn of events left the country’s premier beauty pageant soul-searching as such a scandal had never been witnessed since independence.
This was particularly so because it involved Malaika, who had made history by cat-walking into the top 10 of the global beauty pageant, Miss World, at the peak of her successful career.
The formbook of professional beauty pageants associated with glitz and glamour continued to be torn into shreds as another Miss Zimbabwe pageant winner had her pictures in the nude leaked on social media platforms.
In what appears to be the new template for the beauty pageant, Miss Zimbabwe Trust is currently carrying out investigations following reports that Emily Tatanga Kachote, who was crowned Miss Zimbabwe last week, also had her pictures leaked.
Miss Zimbabwe Trust spokesperson Tendai Chirau recently said they were conducting investigations into the allegations, but indicated that if the allegations were proved true, the queen would be dethroned.
“Regulation 5 for Miss World Zimbabwe Trust, which conforms to the one stipulated by Miss World, states that professionally or socially in all forms of media posing nude, being in a relationship, sexual advances towards anyone and any behaviour categorised as immoral by Miss Zimbabwe Trust is grounds for instant disqualification and/or dethronement,” Chirau said.
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“Delegates must maintain a high standard of moral and ethical behaviour which in no way reflects negatively upon Miss World Zimbabwe and Miss World Trust. All the 57 models who went into the boot camp signed a form with this information saying they had never done it.”
Chirau said when they conducted the auditions across the country’s provinces, the aspiring contestants were told not to participate in the pageant if they had ever posed nude.
Questions have, however, arisen whether the trend of taking photos in the nude by models is just part of a streak of naughtiness or part and parcel of a trade in which having shots in tiny bikinis is often acceptable.
When Mushandu’s pictures appeared, she said they were part of many that were taken during various photo shoots for her modelling portfolio.
“It could be me because I have taken numerous professional photos of myself before,” she said. “Of course, I was wearing a bikini and they were purely professional photos.”
Former model and founder of Zim Gossip Models agency Mercy Mushaninga expressed disappointment over the unbecoming behaviour of some of the local models.
“Our culture does not allow us to pose nude and models who participate at any pageant know that,” Mushaninga said. “Models must be well scrutinised if they are to participate at Miss Zimbabwe to avoid tarnishing the image of the pageant. Remember, not everyone is a model. Some call themselves models yet they are not.”
Mushaninga said she supported Miss Zimbabwe Trust chairperson Marry Mubaiwa-Chiwenga’s stance of bringing professionalism to the modelling sector.
“Marry is setting the bar high and I support her. Aspiring models will know that Miss World Zimbabwe is a no-nonsense pageant,” she said.
Last year, two of Miss Zimbabwe finalists, Hilda Mabu and Primrose Tshuma were booted out for allegedly violating rules of the pageant when they sneaked out of camp ahead of the grand finale.
In 2011, Miss Zimbabwe Personality, Lungile Mathe, was dethroned for patronising nightclubs and failing to turn up for work on several occasions.
Mushaninga, the organiser of Miss Curvy Zimbabwe, said models were supposed to uphold local culture and morals.
“These ladies should know that being a model is no different from taking an ambassadorial role in a society. They should always behave like representatives and adhere to desired ethics,” Mushaninga said.
