Malefo crowned first-ever Miss Zion Botswana
Proving they have the physical beauty to go with their beautiful souls, Zionists gathered in the capital city over the weekend to crown the first ever Miss Zion Botswana.
Held at a packed Gaborone Technical College under the theme ‘Restoring Dignity and Lost Hope’, the beauty pageant featured junior and senior categories.
Swaying her way down the catwalk with the confidence of a supermodel, 26-year-old Nthabiseng Malefo and her long legs strode to victory, beating ten other beauties to the title.
The competition included four wardrobe changes, with the dress code including: jeans and t-shirt, swimwear, night gown and traditional attire.
Reflecting on her win, Malefo, a member of the Holy Christian Apostolic Church in Zion, revealed the journey had been far from easy, to the point that she nearly quit during the build-up.
“It’s just that I was doing something that is very precious to my heart so I pushed until I managed. The competition was also tough, but I told myself ‘Nthabi you have to remember the main reason why you came here’. At the end of the day I won, and I am very grateful for that since my dream came true,” declared the Moshawaneng native, who narrowly piped first runner-up, Lolo Ncube and third placed, Basetsana Ramokone to glory.
Hoping this is the start of things to come in her modeling career, Malefo will take part in the Mr and Miss Bakgalagari pageant this Saturday at Molapo Showcase Piazza.
“Pageantry is very good as it boosts one’s confidence and teaches networking and working with other people,” said the Queen, who is in her third year BA in Healthcare Service Management Boitekanelo College student.
She walked away with P3, 500 plus an all-expenses paid trip to Cape Town, while the first and second runners-up took home P3, 000 and P2, 500 respectively, as well as fully-covered trips to Kasane.
No one left empty handed, with the remaining contestant receiving P500 for their efforts as well a day out in Sun City.
Meanwhile, in the junior section, nine-year-old Princess Phodiso of Holy Bontle Apostolic Church was crowned Miss Junior Zionist.
Speaking to Voice Entertainment, the brains behind the event, Phathanani Jambo revealed some of the gate-taking would go towards assisting the underprivileged.
Like Malefo, Jambo struggled in the lead-up to the pageant. With no sponsorship forthcoming, he had to dig into his own pockets to ensure the event went ahead.
He was vindicated by the good turn-out.
Going forward, Jambo hopes to hold the show annually, already penciling in the next installment for 2nd November 2024.
Dreaming of a bigger, better event, the Enhlangano Bazalwane Church of Christ worshipper said, “There were low registration numbers of contestants especially for the junior category where we think such shows can unearth hidden talents that can help develop children at young age and make them better persons when they grow up.”
