"We have seen how winning the Miss Universe title in 1999 elevated Mpule Kwelagobe's status worldwide, so we thought we should revive it for the good of the country," said Moremi. Moremi's colleague, Safie Sekgwa, who also happens to be the chief executive officer (CEO) of Mos Syde, told Showbiz that while he was in New York in the United States of America (US), he approached the Miss Universe Organisation headquarters about the possibility of them giving his business the licence to operate Miss Universe Botswana and he was given the go-ahead. "I was saddened to learn that Botswana last took part in the competition in 2004 and I thought we needed to return to this prestigious beauty competition," Sekgwa said adding that his company's primary goal is to help market Botswana's diamonds, tourism products and culture through the pageant. As part of their endeavour to revive Miss Universe Botswana, Mos Syde will scout for beauties in locations such as Francistown, Maun, Palapye and Gaborone from May 8-16 and the registration fee is P 150. According to Sekgwa, to qualify, one must be at least 18 years old and under 27 by February this year. The aspirant should be a citizen of Botswana who must have resided in the country as her permanent and primary residence for at least six months prior to the beginning of the beauty pageant. Miss Universe Botswana grand finale is scheduled to take place on June 23 at the Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC) and the winner will represent Botswana at the International Miss Universe grand finale in Las Vegas, US, on August, 22. Miss Universe is a partnership between NBC Universal and Donald Trump and is considered one of the world's biggest beauty pageant brands in the world. The competition attracts more than one billion viewers worldwide and it mainly celebrates cultural diversity. One of the few Africans who won the title is Botswana's own Mpule Kwelagobe who snatched it in 1999.
