UNITED KINGDOM-BASED model Lillie Chopamba (23) has been selected as Zimbabwe’s representative to the 2014 edition of Miss Grand International (MGI) to be held in Bangkok, Thailand.
SINDISO DUBE OWN CORRESPONDENT
Chopamba replaces Marble Nyathi (23) who has controversially been removed by organisers of the local edition of the MGI.
Nyathi had made it through the castings that were held last month, but was dropped with Chris Vukani Mhlanga, the licence holder of the pageant, claiming she was not the kind of finished product to represent Zimbabwe.
“This year’s edition is different. We decided to drift from the conventional boot camp and show staged last year; where none of the girls in camp met the criteria. This year saw the top contestant drop out due to overwhelming commitments.
As if that wasn’t enough, her replacement failed to meet certain requirements at a final photoshoot staged leaving the licence holder no choice, but to search even deeper and this brought about Lillie Chopamba,” Mhlanga said, explaining why he decided to drop Nyathi.
Mhlanga said Chopamba meets the requirements and “cements my belief that there are gorgeous Zimbabwean girls out there. I did promise to present a formidable delegate and here we are ready to compete at the (fourth) most prestigious pageant in the world”.
He urged Zimbabweans interested in pageants to follow and support Chopamba throughout her reign.
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Critics have, however, came out guns blazing, accusing the organisers of the local peagent of treating Nyathi unfairly and in an embarrassing manner.
Mhlanga told a local State weekly that Nyathi was dropped because she had “scratches” on her body and that her skin was not good enough, charges flatly refuted by the model, who in turn accussed the MGI licence holder of “defrauding” her of money.
But Mhlanga added: “Sad to note though that there are still a few who do not understand the processes of the selection criteria and seriousness nature of the pageant.
We (Zimbabwe) are going out to Bangkok Thailand to compete against top girls from all around the world and as such can only field a fitting delegate and nothing less. It is my mandate to deliver to the MGI board and will continue to do so with competitive intent. Lillie is both smart and stunning.
I am therefore confident of marking just as good if not a better mark at this year’s pageant as we did last year.”
The Marondera-born Chopamba lived with her grandparents from the age of nine then moved to the UK when she was 11.
She graduated with a degree in psychology at Brunel University in the UK, she is currently contracted to La Reines Model Management trading as La Reine Ltd in London.
The second edition of the prestigious pageant will be held in Bangkok Thailand on October 7 and last year’s representative was former Miss Zimbabwe Samantha Tshuma.
