27 Dec 2018

Okavango is well-known for its physical features such as the delta and Tsodilo Hills, which makes the region beautiful and unique.

The area, however, is not only beautiful geographically, but also has beautiful young people aspiring to be top models and beauty queens.

This was evident at this year’s Miss Okavango grand finale held in Shakawe recently, where 14 young ladies from different Okavango villages battled it out for the crown.

The competition focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of contestants, personality traits, intelligence, talent and answers to judges’ questions.

Although the event started a bit late, those who made time did not regret because the contest was a thriller of note.

The girls first started parading in jeans and T-shirts branded Miss Okavango 2018/2019, then followed a breathtaking parade of dancing in shorts and crop tops.

Another display was that of traditional attire, then bikini and finally the young ladies appeared wearing gowns.

Then came a moment that is in most cases a difficult one for many contestants, which was answering the judges’ questions.

This is where Otshepo Nthonyana showed her class and impressed the judges with her responses.

Throughout the show, the Seronga-born queen had been receiving standing ovations from the crowd whenever she appeared on stage, and in the end she was crowned Miss Okavango 2018/19, hence she will be competing at Miss Africa Malaysia in March next year.

The winner went home with P3 000 followed by first princess Oratile Mmofe of Shakawe with P2 000 and second princess Gogonte Ditaolo also from Shakawe who pocketed P1 500, while there was also a P1 000 consolation prize for each contestant.

Speaking at the event, patron and sponsor of the pageant, Member of Parliament for Okavango, Bagalatia Arone commended the organisers for coming up with an idea that would put Okavango on the map.

He said the people of Okavango should pride themselves in originating from a unique area, which has two world heritage sites in the Okavango Delta and Tsodilo hills. ENDS