Miss Zim-SA set to widen its horizons

The honours of first and second princess went to 21-year-old Charlene Phiri also from Cape Town and 25-year-old Pretoria-based student Lorraine Purity Fowane.

The panel of judges consisted of the founder and executive director of Miss Zim-SA, Thamsanqa Ncube; former Studio 263 actress Anne Nhira; Zimbabwean film-maker Admire Maramba, and model and film-maker Melgin Tafirenyika. Joining them on the panel were Siphelele Chingono from UNICEF in Zimbabwe.

Leading the ceremonies was Worldview TV host and former Studio 263 actor Yvonne Katsande, best known for her role as Sarah Newton in the popular soap.

Spiwe Sibiya, who produced the event, said she was thrilled it was continuing to grow in stature, and was now beginning to attract some of Zimbabwe’s big names.

“Our aim has always been to make the event as inclusive of all Zimbabweans here in South Africa, and to see the like of Yvonne Katsande from Studio 263 as well as Myre Maramba, renowned film-maker and producer of Estate Blues really shows growth. We can confirm that big things are on the move for this event,” said Sibiya.

Meanwhile, the pageant’s executive director, Thamsanqa Ncube, announced big changes in the format of the event. From next year, the event will be hosted in the individual South African cities of Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town, with each city producing three semi-finalists, who will then take part in a grand finale later in the year.

“We have listened to concerns from Zimbabweans here in South Africa that the event has not been inclusive of all area in the country, and we hope that by spreading it in this way, the eventual Miss Zim-SA winner will truly be representative of all Zimbabweans in South Africa,” Ncube added.

The winner of Miss Zim-SA 2013 won R5,000, and there were prizes of R2,500 and R1,000 for the runners-up. The women also won hampers from the sponsors.