THE winds of change have begun to blow for rural girls in Zimbabwe as their time to step onto the ramp is nigh as one of the most memorable pageants for the marginalised spreads across the rest of the continent.
The initial pageant was created by former model Sipho Mazibuko in 2003 and catered for rural girls in Zimbabwe. Mazibuko told NewsDay Life & Style that the pageant will extend beyond borders.
“All licence holders whether at provincial or national level must adhere to the Miss Rural Organisation guidelines for scouting authentic rural girls. Those who fetch water from the well, get firewood from the bush and toil in the fields, they are the qualifiers. There have been some from growth points and city girls at boarding schools who tried to infiltrate but we have a tight loop,” she said.
Mazibuko said she was focusing on the continental version going forward.
“Now I am very busy with other similar projects of empowerment of women so I cannot be greedy and get my hands on everything, otherwise it will all flop,” she said.
At its peak, Miss Rural Zimbabwe attracted the attention of major broadcasters including CNN, Al Jazeera, SABC and Multichoice’s Africa Magic which was a very popular channel at the time.
Singer-cum-politician Sandra Ndebele said she benefited immensely when she toured all the provinces in Zimbabwe with the pageantry as a performer.
The last time Miss Rural Zimbabwe was held was in 2019.
- Mazibuko retraces footstep to rural areas
- Sipho Mazibuko calls it a day
- Talk of having lots in common: SA’s Sophie Ndaba and Mazibuko reunite
- Miss Rural Africa on the cards
Keep Reading
“In 2020 we got disrupted by COVID-19 during the last stages of the auditions in Matabeleland North.This time we are bringing it to the rest of Africa, taking of course the opportunity to market proud Zimbabwe products and identity like the national dress. We will be approaching the relevant stakeholders but we also have an open door policy for those who may want to partner us,” said Mazibuko.
