2010 - the year of Emma Wareus

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Wednesday December 22, 2010 00:00

 

In the run-up to the grand finale, the international media had started making headlines about her as a hot contender for the world title.

They were not off the mark, for on October 30, 2010, the girl from Gabane was crowned Miss World Africa queen, as well as Miss World first princess, filling many Botswana's hearts with happiness in a year that had also seen another young woman in Amantle Montsho winning gold in the women's 400m at the Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi, India.

Thanks to Emma's feat at the Miss World, now Botswana prepares to welcome the newly crowned Miss World, Alexandria Mills of the United States of America (US), early next year in what will be Wareus' official homecoming and a fund-raising event for a charitable cause in Botswana.

Wareus' achievement resulted in the Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture, Shaw Kgathi, announcing on the beauty's arrival at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport that government has now designed a new policy to reward high achieving personalities like Wareus and Amantle.

A number of pop singers like Naledi Thabakgolo, Tebogo Tlhagadikgora and Kitso Selato, all products of local producer, Master D Sesinyi's talent search show, have benefited from this windfall.  Government will from next year start to sponsor them for music programmes in South Africa.

Wareus has been officially told that she can name any enterprise or college she would like to pursue with the assistance of the Government, while Amantle has also been told she can choose what she would like to venture into, including a University of her choice, at a country of her choice, and a study programme of her choice of course.

The success of Wareus has also served to further galvanise the spirits of the organisers of the Miss Botswana beauty pageant, 63 entertainment and Leapfrog, who now have announced that their next objective is to see Botswana host the Miss World spectacle!

Wareus's impressive showing at the world stage can be attributed to a beautifully organised Miss Botswana event, which this year had a P400  000 - house as the first prize.  The previous year, the queen won a brand new Mercedes Benz, which she would later sell for P275, 000 cash at the end of her reign.