BDP reveals how it chipped in to help Emma be among world best

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Friday November 5, 2010 00:00

 

Emma went on to make history as she finished  as the first Princess in the Miss World 2010 held in China over the weekend. The logistics are traditionally the responsibilities of the Botswana Council of Women, the licence holders of the Miss Botswana pageant but as usual, it would seem the queen struggled again, forcing her mother to run to the party president for assistance after spending all her money on the daughter.

The BDP yesterday also revealed that on top of handling all expenses for the beauty, the party also paid for flight, and hotel expenses for the beauty's mother, Tshepo, a former Miss Botswana queen herself, to enable her to accompany her child to the Miss world finals in Sanya.

The queen's trip to China was sponsored by the government through the Department of Culture.

The BDP also sponsored BDP members, the BDP youth chair, Bontsi Monare, and administration manager, Lee Lesetedi, to also accompany the queen and give her the moral support she needed.

Yesterday, BDP officer Masego Baitseng revealed to Mmegi how Emma's mother, Tshepo, a BDP women's Wing secretary herself, used her powers to knock at  President Ian Khama's office door and appeal for help as her resources were depleted by the taxing schedules for the would-be Miss World beauty after  the Miss Botswana's caretakers, BCW, were yet again found wanting. Baitseng says Tshepo ran out of funds for fuel, as she found herself having to drive the Miss Botswana queen around for her official errands.

Although it had been earlier announced by the organisers of this event that the Miss Botswana queen would be chauffeured driven in a Range-Rover, and given a Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) house, the BDP says the party had to transport the beauty to and from her engagements after her mother pleaded for help from the party.In one incident in Francistown, a BDP official was asked by the party to drive her to Gaborone in his personal car.

The BDP also says contrary to the recently publicised handing of the house keys by the organisers, Emma actually continued to travel to and from Gabane and that just like the Range Rover, the house had not been handed over to the queen. However, the event organisers yesterday explained that the house indeed is in Emma's hands.

Thapelo Pabalinga, of Leap Frog, says the P400, 000 house is in the queen's property although she has not yet moved in. Pabalinga says they do not furnish the house for the queen, adding that it is probably the reason why she has not yet moved in.

About the Range Rover, Pabalinga explained that it was not meant to be part of the prize that the queen will from time to time be driven in the Range Rover.  He stated that the Range Rover is hired for her on rare occasions like recently when she had to attend an event alongside the President Khama. Pabalinga and Bissau Gaobakwe last year took the Miss Botswana pageant's status to another level when the winner drove away a brand new Mercedes Benz car, as well as a college bursary, while the runners-up, which included Emma as first princess, won themselves P50, 000 and P30, 000 cash.