Controversial model coach and Miss Rural founder Sipho Mazibuko has allegedly fallen out with one of her models from Matabeleland South province over a passport deal gone wrong.
Te model, Grace Sibanda, was one of the contenders for the national title of Miss Rural Zimbabwe.
She has since decided to pull out of the pageant and informed Mazibuko of her intentions.
“Ma'am Mazibuko, I'm writing to express my concern and disappointment regarding the US$180 you took from me two months ago,” wrote the model to Mazibuko via text message.
“You claimed that I needed a passport to pursue an international modelling career, but since then, you've been giving me excuses whenever I ask about going to the passport office to apply.
“I've come to realise that I've been misled, and I'm requesting a full refund of my money.
“I'm no longer interested in pursuing modelling with your agency, and I expect my refund to be processed promptly.
“Please let me know when I can expect my refund, and I appreciate your immediate attention to this matter. Sincerely, Grace Sibanda.”
A source privy to the situation said there hasn’t been clear communication whether the national pageant would still take place or not, and that has made a lot of people pull out.
“I don’t know what’s happening, but I left some time ago when I realised that this whole thing is far from reality. The problem is the endless lies,” she said.
“There is so much debt, they (Miss Rural Production) owe almost everyone and at this point, even if they get funding it will all go into paying debt.
“I don’t know how they incurred so much debt and still have nothing to show in as far as fruition goes.
“That is part of the reason why I left. Call her (Sipho) she will give you a response.”
Another letter sent by Mental Voices Trust and seen by this publication in response to Grace, Mazibuko suggested that the model fell ill and, therefore, had to be hospitalised, which meant that a medical bill had been incurred.
The letter explicitly explained why Grace couldn’t be refunded.
“I refer to the above matter. Please note that we duly received US$200 from Grace your daughter for her passport application,” wrote Mazibuko.
“Her birth certificate was torn and dirty and was not in the system so we had to use our connections to get her one in the presence of our matron Mrs Sifinini Rhona Moyo.
"The birth certificate came out. To avoid the money being spent, I duly gave it to my connection at the passport office to put in the system so that when Grace was ready they would simply issue out her receipts because I suspected and knew that if the money came back ekhaya Grace would never have a passport, which is now the case because she sent a letter demanding her money back an issue which is not a problem."
Mazibuko wrote that during the boot camp Grace got severely ill and she informed her brother.
She said Mental Voices paid the hospital bill amounting to US$360.
“The consumables bill which is the eight antibiotics drips that she got and other medications have to be settled by Mental Voices Trust and yourselves meaning the bill of US$405 must be split into half between the model’s family and Mental Voices Trust. So as such you have to pay US$200 and I pay US$205 equally,” Mazibuko said.
She said she tried talking to Insiza South MP Farai Taruvinga to help settle the bill and all other MPS from Matabeleland South province with little success.
Grace Sibanda confirmed the development to Standard Style.
“I fell ill and she took me to the doctors and she said I must not tell my parents because they would be stressed,” Grace said.
“So when we were taken in we were told that Mental Health Voices would handle our welfare, including medicals should a need arise.
"Now I have written to her because I have seen many red flags on this whole thing and I want to study for a course and she refused to give me the money that was meant for my passport.
“She said she had already given it to the people at the passport office to hold it and now it will be used to pay my bills.”
Last week Mazibuko accused singer Jeys Marabini of refusing to honour a 23-year-old debt during a live radio interview on Skyz Metro FM.