FORMER Miss Zimbabwe Lorraine Tsoanelo Maphala’s official wedding to businessman Sonny Phiri has been scheduled for November 9 at a Bulawayo hotel, completing the customary marriage rites in 2011.
Melissa Mpofu Entertainment Reporter
Maphala confirmed to Southern Eye that she would officially tie the knot with the Nissi Finance boss in a weeks’ time.
The couple has already started sending out invitations to guests. Popular musician Sandra Ndebele and former Miss Bulawayo Sibusisiwe Dube will be part of the bridal party.
The Bulawayo beauty, who met Phiri in 2008 after having been involved in a string of short-lived affairs, said she believed that she had found her true love in the businessman who is father of her two children, Dineo Maddie and Ethan.
“Relationships come and go. Most of them were never meant to be till I met the person I would spend the rest of my life with and we started all over,” she said.
She met Phiri after having travelled to South Africa on business. The two fashion pundits exchanged cell numbers, became friends and later courted.
Maphala said she loved Phiri because they were best friends and open with each other, something that has strengthened their union.
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“I love the fact that Sonny and I are best friends. We are comfortable with each other. I can be silly around him and we can laugh at the same thing without having to show each other the object we will be laughing at,” she said.
The beauty queen, who rose to fame after clinching the then coveted Miss Zimbabwe title in 2004, went on to represent the country at the Miss World pageant.
She thanked the Miss Zimbabwe patron Kiki Divaris for her massive hand–holding in her grooming as a super model and how she chaperoned her like a mother in the right direction in life.
Like all models, during her reign, the Bulawayo-based beauty was the most sought-after girl in the country with men offering her all sorts of gifts just to get a bit of her. She said she resisted their offers only to find the love of her life in 2008.
“During my reign as Miss Zimbabwe I did get offers from men who wanted to date me, but I knew what I wanted in life after all the fame, so I dealt with the temptations and waited patiently for Mr Right to come along,” the beauty queen said.
Phiri said he loved Maphala because she was not materialistic like most models.
“I love Lorraine because she looks at life differently. She is not one who is after the money, but one who is after the personality. She loved the down-to-earth attitude I portrayed to her when we dated,” he said.
Asked about how he dealt with the pressure of marrying a beauty queen, Phiri said he loved the challenge.
“With me, I love being challenged when other men look at and admire my wife. I feel bigger and better,” he said.
He added that being with Maphala gave him a bit of glory as it showed that of all men whom Maphala met, it was him she chose to spend the rest of her life with.
