Miss Malawi organisers were forced into an embarrassing climbdown on Friday after admitting they got their own competition rules wrong -- as it emerged they're still scrambling to find millions of kwacha just to get their chosen beauty queen on a plane to Vietnam.
The Miss Malawi Organisation issued a grovelling public apology after confessing it had bungled the age eligibility rules for this year's Miss World pageant, wrongly telling the public that contestants had to be aged between 17 and 27.
Chief executive Benedette Mweso admitted the true rules, laid out by Miss World itself, actually cap entrants at 26 -- not 27 as previously claimed -- and took full responsibility for the confusion that has since engulfed the pageant.
"We take full responsibility for causing the age eligibility confusion that has been going around. I would like to take this moment to apologize to Malawians for causing this confusion," Mweso told a press briefing in Lilongwe.
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The embarrassing mix-up comes amid mounting public anger over the organisation's controversial decision to send first runner-up Irene Navicha to represent Malawi at Miss World, rather than reigning titleholder Thandie Chisi -- a decision that has sparked fierce debate across the country.
Mweso admitted the organisation was aware of concerns that some other countries appear to have fielded contestants above the stated age limit, but insisted Malawi had no special arrangement with Miss World allowing older entrants -- while conceding she couldn't speak for what deals other nations might have struck.
The organisation has now written formally to Miss World seeking urgent clarification on the issue.
But the eligibility row is far from the only headache facing organisers, who have now revealed they are desperately short of cash needed to send Navicha to the pageant at all.
Officials say a staggering K30 million is required to fund Navicha's trip, with the young beauty queen due to fly out on 8 August for the competition in Vietnam, before returning to Malawi on 7 September.
With just weeks to go, organisers admit a shortfall of K15 million remains -- half the total amount needed -- and have issued an urgent appeal to businesses, organisations and well-wishers to step in and help cover the gap.
The twin controversies pile fresh pressure on Miss Malawi bosses, who now face the unenviable task of both restoring public confidence in how the competition is run, and scrambling to raise enough money in time to get their chosen representative on stage in Vietnam next month.
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