Road to Miss World: Grace under pressure
Sharon Mathala | Monday March 10, 2025 09:13
The date and venue for the 72nd Miss World competition was finally announced two weeks back, and Botswana’s representative is already on the move. When the Mmegi team arrived for the meeting, she had traded her evening gowns for gym tights, with her crown, titled crown of unity, momentarily set aside for sweat and discipline.
She told us that by 6am every day, the gym is her battlefield with a personal trainer from Jack’s Gym pushing her through the grueling session, as she undergoes cardio and strength training.
When the Arts&Culture team arrived, her focus was unshaken, the discipline, she says, is not just about the body but the mind.
Catching a moment after the session, she shared: ”People see the glamour, but this is the hard part. When I stand in front of the world, I want to be my best self, not just in looks, but in presence, in confidence, in purpose.”
From the gym, the day spirals into a flurry of activities, even the Mmegi team was overwhelmed. In between activities, she often has to stop and pose for pictures with well-wishers, who not only want pictures but also want brief conversations.
From long hours in the gym, the beauty queen has no choice but to wait, her aide, Gorata, patiently waits on the side, often checking her timepiece, because another appointment is waiting.
Commenting on her journey she shares: “During this journey, one sometimes has some level of self-doubt because you get to meet so many powerful people. I sit in boardrooms that I would have never imagined. I mean I was Miss Teen before, but this has been different. It has taken time for me to find my feet.”
She continued: “You noticed that from the beginning of my journey, I shortened conversations because I doubted whether I was saying the right thing, whether I was saying too much. If it was the right platform, I had to work really hard to perfect that. I had to find my confidence and it wasn’t easy.”
To her credit, Gaothuse had taken the reigns from one the most popular figures in the country, Now Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs, Lesego Chombo, who is also the reigning Miss World Africa, after securing the Top 4 spot at the Miss World 2024.
“She has really put the spotlight on us and we are very proud of her. What she has achieved makes us want to push even further. It puts pressure on me to dream bigger,” she said.
Fittings with designers, back-to-back meetings with sponsors, and consultations with a strategy team fine-tuning her advocacy pitch, are some of the activities that make up her daily schedule.
Her Beauty with a Purpose project titled, Lights’, is close to her heart. From a young age, she grew up with her grandmother who was in health care. She says she acquired skills in health aid as she often assisted her grandmother.
“To me it was normal. Only to realise when growing up that most people actually don’t have the basic knowledge of primary care and hence the passion to use my position to advocate for that.
“We should be able to offer first aid to a patient whilst we wait for the medics to come. I believe this would save so many lives,” she said. At one of the fittings with Delayna Scott, she steps onto a pedestal as a designer drapes fabric over her frame, fitting what would be part of her final look on the world stage.
“This isn’t just a dress; it’s a story,” she says, inspecting the intricate beadwork inspired by Tswana culture that she will display to the world, further telling Arts&Culture that she will be going to the competition with over 90 outfits.
Later she rehearses her speech, refining each word, and each gesture.
Her weekly training includes dance, swimming, grooming sessions, make-up, and hair, just to mention but a few.
“Miss World is not just about beauty,” she says. “It’s about impact. And I am here to make sure Botswana’s voice is heard,” she emphasises.
She recently toured the country and tourism sites with the Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO), where she says she was not only wowed by the landscape and the animals but the different traditions of Botswana.
As we part, she comments on the pressure that comes with being a Miss Botswana queen, especially with the Miss Botswana organisation often being at the back end of controversy. “I believe there is no organisation that is perfect.
I mean people who work here are human beings and we all make mistakes, even myself I make mistakes and I hope Batswana understands,” she said.
For Gaothuse, as she hands over the Miss Botswana crown to a new Queen on March 22, she will be done with pageantry but will continue to contribute to the beauty industry differently.
Fact file:
l Age she started her Miss Botswana journey: 21-years-old she ends it 22 years.
l Favourite local artists: Lioness Ratang, Esra and Samantha Mogwe
l The first thing she does in the morning: Pray
l She is a foody!
l She spends time with family and friends to check out from reality