23 Nov 2022

The Maun community on Tuesday thronged the Batawana main kgotla for Miss Botswana, Lesego Chombo’s homecoming.

Clad in traditional attires, countless excited fans, friends, village leadership and family descended upon the kgotla to give Chombo a welcome fit for a queen.

A motorcade procession was also conducted through the tourism town, before her arrival at the kgotla, where she was welcomed by horse riders.

She then had a meet and greet session with the Batawana regent, Kgosi Kealetile Moremi.

The reigning queen was on a two-day visit to interact, be appreciated and blessed by her family and the community at large before embarking on her upcoming journey to Miss World pageant.

Speaking at the ceremony, a Botswana Council of Women (BCW) representative in Maun, Daisy Wright thanked Chombo for making Batawana proud and putting the district on the map, by winning the coveted Miss Botswana crown.

Wright also praised Chombo’s parents for grooming a star, noting that her strong personality was a symbol that she was destined for greater things.

She said Chombo upheld the ‘beauty with brain’ as she was an intellectual and intended to continue using her intellect to influence the upcoming generations.

Appraising the gathering on the history of BCW and Miss Botswana, Wright explained that BCW was a non-governmental organisation that promoted values of women, adding that it initiated Miss Botswana to unearth natural beauty and talent.

Miss Botswana, she said dated as far back as 1964, adding that Ngamiland region made its debut at Miss Botswana in 1978, with the first queen coming from Shakawe.

Wright said the district continued to produce other beauty queens, citing the Emma Wareus, who came second in the Miss World title in 2010 and Juby Peacock, among others.

North West District Council chairman, Kebareeditse Ntsogotlho said the reigning queen was an inspirational woman who feared God and was full of wisdom. He encouraged her to continue displaying good conduct as she faced the international community.

Ntsogotlho also urged her to trust herself and soldier on until she reached her dream of becoming Miss World.

“We will continue to support and keep you in our prayers as you will be representing our country in the elite Miss World. We are hopeful that you will make us proud again,” he added.

Miss Botswana executive director, Benjamin Raletsatsi thanked BCW for entrusting them with the huge responsibility of hosting Miss Botswana, which aimed to promote the ideal womanhood of the nation.

He said their aim was not only to win Miss World, but to host it, revealing that things were looking up as Miss World had granted Botswana its wish to host the glamorous event. Raletsatsi, however acknowledged that it was a huge and expensive project and that they were still working on it.

He also attested that Ngamiland was a home of beauty queens with brains, citing Chombo as an example, saying her profession as a lawyer was testimony that they were producing women who could take the country to greater heights.

The reigning queen’s father, Othusitse Chombo thanked the Maun leadership, BCW and the community for organising the ceremony to celebrate her daughter’s victory.

BCW, he was doing a commendable job to empower women to live their dreams, saying his daughter chose the path of being a beauty queen as part of her ambitions during her formative years.

Chombo explained that Lesego was no stranger to the limelight as she had been winning beauty pageants since pre-school.

That, he said modelled her to the star she was today and gave her his blessing as she eyed  victory on the world stage of beauty. Ends