ZTA rescues Miss Zim Trust

Karikoga Kaseke

THE Zimbabwe Tourism Authority has come to the rescue of the Miss Zimbabwe Trust and will now assist in hosting this year’s national beauty pageant. The sudden change of heart by the authority, which has been hosting the event in the past six years, came after it held a series of consultation meetings with the Miss Zimbabwe Trust. 

The members acknowledged they had no capacity to host the event. However, ZTA has since indicated that it will only assist the Trust, provided it meets some of the Authority’s stipulated conditions that include getting rid of the current licence holders. Addressing journalists in Harare on Friday, ZTA chief executive Mr Karikoga Kaseke, said the Authority’s change of heart came on instruction from the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry.

“Following the request from my parent ministry, I met with two of the Miss Zimbabwe’s Trust members, Ms Kiki Divaris and Paxina Kalulu this afternoon (last Friday) and they pleaded with us to save the pageant from dying.

“Of course the assistance that ZTA is going to give the Miss Zimbabwe Trust will come with a number of conditions that ZTA stakeholders will have to agree on. While I may not be at liberty to disclose some of the conditions, let me categorically state that the Trust will have to get rid of the current licence holder before we can come in.

“You all know that the Miss Zimbabwe Trust is in a mess and they will not be any national beauty pageant to talk about if we don’t assist them to put their house in order,” said Mr Kaseke.

That means that the grand finale, which had been pencilled for March 23, will have to be postponed again for the third time. Mr Kaseke, however, could not reveal whether they would consider the current finalists. The latest development could mean that Zimbabwe will not send a representative to the Miss World beauty pageant, which will be held in July in Mongolia. ZTA handed back the Miss Zimbabwe licence last year after a six-year stint. (Harare)