04 Nov 2021

Chedza Setimela (25) will represent Botswana in the Miss Supermodel International Modelling contest in Bangkok, Thailand in February, 2022.

Miss Supermodel International Modelling contest is an annual event aimed at promoting cultural union, it also integrates beauty and fashion trends from different continents.

The contest started in 2010 named Supermodel of Asia Pacific and was later rebranded as Miss Supermodel International Modelling contest due to its increasing popularity.

Setimela, who is the first young Motswana to represent the country in the contest, is mentored by the Director of Diamond Pageantry Academy Nicole Gaelebale.

In an interview with BOPA recently, Gaelebale, who is also Miss Botswana 2017, said Setimela was approved to represent the country by the Super International licence holders in Thailand, after she applied online and met the set series of requirements.

She said the pageantry intended to bring together elements of modelling and beauty in one, to keep enhancing fashion and modelling developments.
Gaelebale said Setimela, who has been under Diamond Pageantry Academy for over four years, was mentored on issues of posture, stage presentation, walks and communication among others.

She further said in efforts to give other young women an opportunity to try their luck in the international contest, auditions will be held countrywide next year to physically scout the next representative.

Setimela said her intention was to make a mark in the pageantry and modelling industry, adding that she has never doubted her ability since childhood.

She said she drew inspiration from the stories and video clips of Mpule Kwelagobe’s journey to being finally crowned Miss Universe in 1999, adding that her passion and the will to learn were also the cornerstones she relied on.

 “I have  always admired  and  Kwelagobe’s crown, I remember watching her from the video that my mother had recorded. I emulated her walks, which gave me confidence and I felt I could also make a cut in the industry,” she said.

She said she enrolled for pageantry lessons at Diamond Pageantry Academy in 2015 and also had a chance to participate in different shows to fully enhance her confidence in pageantry, among them; the Empire Fashion and Fashion Without Borders shows and several others; as well as being a commercial model for brands such as MA Parlour and Zaron cosmetics.

Setimela is also a full time student at the University of Botswana, pursuing a degree in Business Administration. She said she appreciated support from her family, as it kept her going amidst the challenges she faced with. ENDS