LOCAL beauty queen, Melissa Chaka, was crowned Miss Bulawayo 2012 at a tightly contested but colourful pageant on Saturday night at the Rainbow Hotel.
REPORT BY SINDISO DUBE Michelle Tembo and Bokani Nleya were crowned first and second princess respectively, while Clementine Ali was crowned Miss Personality.
As Miss Bulawayo, Chaka —who beat 21 other models to land the crown — will go on to represent the city at the Miss Zimbabwe pageant to be held next month.
Chaka was crowned by her predecessor Bongani Dhlakama who reigned for two years because the pageant was not held last year.
“I am excited at winning and I thank my family, friends and also Sarah Mpofu-Sibanda for the support they gave me from the beginning up to this day,” she said. “I take this crown with honour and I will represent the city with honour.”
Prizes for the top three winners were not announced at the event as it was meant to be a surprise to the models.
Event organiser Sarah Mpofu-Sibanda thanked everyone who attended the show and especially the sponsors. The event was scheduled to start at 7pm, but only got underway an hour later and saw poorly choreographed performances from local artistes such as The Divas, Harsh Touch and others. There was also concern at the type of questions the models were asked, with most being too general or vague. Some of the judges at the show have been on the panel for years, with some revellers saying it was probably time to change the system and freshen up the pageant.
