05 Mar 2019

Miss Teen Universe Botswana, Thato Sekwati will compete at the Miss  Teen Universe pageant to be held in Panama on March 30.

Sekwati, who will leave for the international pageant on March 23, said she was confident she would do well and bring the crown home.

She is currently under the mentorship of Miss Botswana 2017/18, Nicole Gaelebale.

Seventeen-year-old, Sekwati said she would also use the international stage to express her sentiments on various issues especially cancer.

She said she developed passion to do a cancer awareness charity project, when she was rehearsing for Miss Teen Universe Botswana.

Sekwati, who is doing Form Five at Kids Academy International in Kanye, said she wanted to raise awareness on cancer due to the fact that she lost one of her cousins to the disease in 2017.

She pointed out that she had managed to organise a walk to sensitise the public on the disease adding that proceeds from the walk were donated to Tshiamo Interim House in Gaborone, which is an organisation that offers support to cancer survivors and victims.

Sekwati said she had developed love for pageants and charity some years back. Already, she said she has tried her luck in the Little Miss Princess of the World in 2015.

Although she did not do well, she acknowledged that she learnt a lot as she managed to use the experience to prepare for other pageants.

In 2017, she tried her luck again in the Miss Universe Botswana and emerged the queen.

Although the journey to Miss Universe Botswana was challenging and exhausting, she said she was grateful for her family’s support especially her mother and grandmother, who believed in her and encouraged her to realise her dream.

Her director, Messiah Jackson was also confident that she would do well.

She said Sekwati was a strong and eloquent young lady, who  was determined to conquer the world.

Jackson said Miss Teen Universe Botswana, which was established in 2013 had been doing well over the years.

In 2014, she said Botswana’s representative, Judith Kgwadi got third place.

This time around, she said she was confident of victory.

Meanwhile, Jackson has appealed to Batswana and the private sector to rally behind beauty pageants adding that they had government’s support. ENDS