From “she is not black enough to represent Botswana”, “she is not cultural enough” to her family ties, and political affiliations, to the awarding of prizes to winners, the Miss Botswana brand has been marred in one controversy after the other, over the years. This year, however, the pageant seemed to have turned a corner and broken from the trend. News broke that the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture (MYSC) who had in the past been one of the sponsors of the pageant, would this year take a bigger stake in the event. Analysts believed this was the ministry’s way of rescuing the sinking ship that lately has been the Miss Botswana brand. Things seemed to be going swimmingly for this year’s Golden Jubilee Miss Botswana, but, according to insiders, matters took a twist when the competition narrowed down to the top 12. The drama played out before the nation watching a delayed broadcast of the pageant on Botswana Television, which, combined with the popularity of social media, meant that everyone had an opinion about the fairness of the competition. The controversy over Kenosi’s win has been marred and essentially, these are the burning points critics have pointed to. Initially the license holders Botswana Council of Women (BCW) contracted five judges for this year’s pageant. The judges were former Miss Botswana, Tapiwa Preston, make-up artist, Tlhomamo Diamond, the BCW’s Bogadi Ngwako and Dorcas Thobega as well as local media guru, Boitshwarelo Lebang. This panel of judges was involved from the scouting, to the auditions, to the top 30 all the way to the final cut, being the top 12. However, when the competition progressed to the boot camp, a shocker was revealed when two of the judges were dropped and replaced by two others. The reasons why the judges were dropped have not been made clear by the BCW. When asked about the change in judges, BCW spokesperson Tshepo Maphanyane told Mmegi: “It is not a surprise that the judges were changed at the last minute. It is not even about expertise, who can do what and how.” “We have had many others come in at different stages, so the change of judges should not be a surprise.” But insiders sing a different song. According to sources within, BCW was pressured by MYSC to rope in fresh judges at the 11th hour. “The original panel was contracted to judge until the night of the crowning. This then means that those dropped are going to be paid for a job they did not do.”
Social media blew up this week after pictures of Kenosi, showing her tattoos, went viral. Many called for her to be stripped of the crown, saying Miss World rules prohibited contestants from having tattoos.
