By Mohalenyane Phakela
MASERU — With the seventh edition of Miss Lesotho Companies drawing near, the organiser of the pageant Limakatso Makutle, held a workshop for the contestants at Correctional Training Centre Hall on Saturday.
The gathering was meant to familiarise the entrants, together with their parents, with the rules and regulations that govern the beauty pageant.
This was due to the fact that there have been problems in the past whereby title holders failed to abide by the contracts they signed, Makutle told the attendees.
“We have had cases where parents want to take over as their children’s managers once they get the spotlight, or the model herself wishes to engage in other activities while still signed under us.
“There are things you first need to understand before entering this competition,” she said. “Once we give one of our crowns to you, you are not expected to sign any other contracts or use the crown for projects we know nothing about, neither can you wear the sash and tiara without our consent.”
Since the models are public figures, they are also not to be seen in night clubs or engaging in drugs or alcohol abuse, or anything else considered as public indecency.
Failure to abide by the stipulated rules will result in the concerned models being stripped of the crown and substituted by the first runner-up.
“Sometime in 2011 we had to take the crown from one of our queens who decided to enter another pageant while still wearing our crown. We spent the rest of her scheduled reigning period without the queen.
“The beauties are just supposed to show respect and exert a lot of effort in community services and school projects. All this will enable them to represent Lesotho in international pageants,” she said.
In 2011 Rethabile Mefane entered a All Basotho Convention political party beauty pageant while she was still the reigning Miss Lesotho Companies.
She was stripped of the title.
The models that attended the seminar seemed to understand the set rules as they queued to register for the pageant which is open to contestants aged between three and 25 who will compete in different categories based on age-group.
Miss Lesotho Companies was established in 2008 with the aim of using winners as the faces that will represent Basotho companies in selling their brands, which is why it was given that name.
It has won a few international crowns through the likes of Karabelo Mokoallo, Gladys Pelesa and Constance Mofolo.
“Our slogan this year is ‘We are developing the nation through beauty’, and the judges’ questions are going to be based on it,” Makutle said.
