Salome Silindo poses for a photo with dignitaries including PA Fungai Mbetsa and City of Masvingo Town Clerk Adolf Gusha
Brighton Chiseva
21 April 2017, MASVINGO – Salome Silindo (21) from Bikita, was last week crowned Miss Independence Masvingo province after beating 13 other contestants at the Miss Independence finals held at Charles Austin Theatre.
Trish Sibanda from Chivi and Tamara Tembo from Mwenezi were crowned first and second princesses respectively while Yolanda Manhenga from Masvingo was crowned Miss Personality.
The hotly contested finals featured 14 contestants; two from each of Masvingo’s seven districts.
Speaking after the finals, Silindo admitted that the competition was tough and she did not expect to win, saying the achievement had however came as a huge leap forward in her modelling career.
“I am very excited to be crowned Miss Independence today because I was not expecting it. As you can see, the completion was tough but I made it. I want to be a great model. I expect to win again next year,” she said
Provincial Administrator (PA) Fungai Mbetsa, who was the guest of honour representing the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs Shuvai Mahofa, urged the organisers to work hard to improve the programme which he said was helping to foster unity in the province.
“The camp grew bigger this time than at its inception. Each district is represented by two contestants and this shows unity in the province and I want to urge the organisers to work hard for the improvement of the programme,” said Mbetsa.
The contestants were urged to improve on military displays and to wear jungle boots or tennis which were worn by guerrillas during the liberation struggle since those are the judges’ area of special interest.
The models competed to outdo each other in four displays which are military, culture, African attire, nightwear and questions from the colonial era.
The pageant was introduced last year with fewer contestants than this year, proof that the competition is growing in popularity.entertainment
