The Omaheke region welcomed Uatjiri Mbaisa and Melanie van der Merwe home to Gobabis on Wednesday.

This follows their participation in two of Namibia's top beauty pageants.

Mbaisa and Van der Merwe competed in the Miss Namibia and Miss Teen Namibia pageants, respectively, held at Ongwediva.

Mbaisa won the first princess and public choice award in the Miss Namibia pageant, while Van der Merwe secured the second runner-up position in the Miss Teen Namibia pageant.

At a welcoming ceremony, Gobabis mayor Melba Tjozongoro praised the contestants for their achievements, saying they brought pride not only to themselves, but to the entire region.

"You made us proud. We are celebrating this achievement as a region. You believed in yourselves, and you were your own voices," the mayor said.

She said their self-belief was particularly inspiring as many young people nowadays struggle with self-confidence.

Tjozongoro acknowleged the contestants' pride in their region.

"You were very proud of your region and towns; you were so proud when you shouted your origins out. You represented our mighty Omaheke region well," the mayor said.

She said the Gobabis Municipality would soon present tokens of appreciation to Mbaisa and Van der Merwe.