Lekopanye Mooketsi
27 November 2008
Organisers of the Miss Teen Africa Botswana beauty pageant have broken many hearts with their decision to pay the winners only 20 percent of the prize money.
The Miss Teen Africa pageant grand finale was held at Ditshupo Hall on Tuesday night at which organisers dropped the bombshell that it was agreed with parents that only 20 percent should be paid to the contestants and the rest invested.
The coordinator of the event, Miti Mhlaganyebe said the money would be deposited into an interest-bearing account with Stanbic Bank and the parents of the contestants would be one of the signatories.
Mhlagayebe said they called the parents and they agreed to the new arrangement.
But this did not go down well with some parents. One of the parents, Flora Masholoko, whose daughter took fifth position, said she does not agree with this agreement. Position five winner gets P10,000, but Masholoko was given a cheque for P2,000, which is 20 percent of the total amount.
Masholoko who is based in Selebi-Phikwe, said she only heard about the 20 percent on the evening of the pageant.She made it clear that she wanted the full amount, and that she never agreed to take the 20 percent.
The Miss Teen Africa Botswana was won by a Form IV Ledumang Secondary School student, Galelebale. She was supposed to walk away with P100,000 as the queen but she was only given a cheque for P20,000.
The first princess is Bessia Ratshosa, while the second princess is Kago Kgopo. Same Kobo took position four while position five went to Boitumelo Masholoko. The prize money for first princess is P50,000, P25,000 for the second princess, P15,000 for the fourth position and P10,000 for number five. All the contestants received 20 percent of their respective cash prizes.
The other 12 contestants were given cosmetics as consolation prizes.
The pageant was marred by poor attendance. Most people who had attended the event were parents or relatives of the contestants. There were many tables which were not occupied in the spacious hall.
However, Mhlagayebe insisted that the pageant was a success. He attributed the poor attendance to the fact that the event was held in the middle of the week. He said the hall was not available for bookings over the weekend.
Mhlagayebe feels that they have achieved their objective because the idea was not about making money but proving that it was possible to organise a continental event, which they hope to do again next year.
Officiating at the pageant, the Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture, Gladys Kokorwe, said it was the first time in the history of beauty pageants in the country that Miss Teen Africa-Botswana was hosted.
She said the event came at an opportune moment when the youth of the country are facing great challenges. "It is evident from our communities that the youths are challenged in the social, economic, cultural, health political, spiritual and psychological arena which need to be addressed by competent and professionals service."
Kokorwe said the youth represents a considerable constituency in the socio-economic development of this country. She added that the 2001 Population Census figures show that about 60 percent of the country 's population is below the age of 30 years. "This means that our development efforts cannot be sustainable unless they significantly address the plight of the youth.
It has become increasingly clear that government alone cannot sufficiently address challenges faced by young people particularly the girl child," said Kokorwe.
She stated that events like Miss Teen Africa Botswana are very important in many ways than one. She added that beauty pageants help to market the country as a tourist destination, adding they also help in diversifying the tourism industry.
Kokorwe said beauty pageants afford young people a rare but important opportunity to express themselves openly and showcase the talent that lies hidden in each of them. Above all, it keeps them away from engaging in anti-social behaviour.
She noted that pageants can also open doors of opportunities to contestants participating in them for the right motives. Pageants can also contribute positively to career development and provide a platform for the defence of human rights issues.
Kokorwe called on the organisers to afford contestants the opportunity to serve their communities in the promotion of various issues.
She said community service is a very important component of pageants.
The minister implored the organisers of beauty pageants to work hard and use their professional talent to change the wrong perception that people have about such events. She said pageants should not only be centred on beauty but should also encourage contestants to exhibit their talents including intellect.
Kokorwe said the main thrust of Miss Teen Africa Botswana is to provide guidance to the contestants through the coaching and mentoring programmes. She said as a teenagers' competition, it is concerned with young women in the areas of reproductive health, moral rectitude and HIV/AIDS related issues.
She added that it is also intended to empower young people in all facets of life. She said it equips them for career planning, social and recreational responsibilities, knowledge acquisition and skills development as well. "It also equips young women with the ability to cherish and uphold cultural values," she said.
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