Miss Botswana 2009 a 'Mercedez Benz affair'

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Wednesday February 25, 2009 00:00

According to Thapelo Pabalinga, the spokesperson for the organisers, they have been contracted to run the show by the Miss Botswana licence-holders, the Botswana Council of Women (BCW).

Pabalinga revealed that they intend to bring back respect for the prestigious beauty pageant, which has been hogging the limelight for the wrong reasons. Often times, winners complain that they have not been given the promised prizes. This time round, Pabalinga said, 'we want to restore faith and pride in Miss Botswana. That is why we invited the media to come and view and shoot pictures of the first prize, a C200 Mercedes Benz. We are transparent and would not make promises that we won't deliver,' he said.He revealed that other prizes for the Miss Botswana queen include a scholarship to a tertiary institution of her choice.

He said that they are negotiating with a cellular company, an asset management company, among others, to come in as sponsors of the pageant.

The Mercedes Benz car is sponsored by the organisers themselves, he said. According to Pabalinga, they want to demonstrate that they are serious.

'We don't want a situation where we go around looking for sponsorship without anything on the table. Besides, we are not looking to make a profit, but rather to restore the good image of Miss Botswana pageant,' he said.They have also designed a new brand for the pageant. The brand is in the form of a crown, on top of it is a heart shape, and a B, for Botswana, is embedded inside the heart.He said they have hired professional beauty scouts to tour the country to pick the contestants for the lucrative prize. The scouting schedule indicates that this Saturday selectors will be in Francistown, then Palapye after which they will move to other areas. He said that they are ready to take 'as many as a million girls'. 'We want to have a beauty queen who will be a true representative of beauty, our Tswana values and principles,' he said.