03 Jul 2024

Miss Universe organisers have announced top 20 contestants who will battle it out for the coveted crown.

 The top 20 were announced during the Meet the National Director session in Gaborone recently. The contestants include Sebaga Manyepedza and radio personality, Kedi Molosiwa, also known as Lezozo.  

The pageant, which is making a comeback after 10 years,  has become more inclusive allowing married women and  mothers and scouted possible candidates with ages ranging from 18 to 34 to compete.

Safie Sekgwa said Miss Universe  was the world’s biggest pageant and to identify the winner, they had to search everywhere.  “We have been to Francistown, we have been to Gaborone, we have been to Palapye, adding that some people did not turn up for auditions because they did not believe in themselves. 

“Research shows that the number one barrier among women is self-confidence. A lot of people did not audition for Miss Universe because they lack confidence. If you can beat that you can achieve just about anything,” he said.  

He also said the goal was to go and win Miss Universe and they were looking for globally competitive Botswana brand ambassadors.

He said they picked top 20 and trained them all as winners and all were to be ready to be Miss Universe Botswana. He said  they had a programme for those who were dropped from the top 20.  

One of the organisers, Omphile Phuthego, said they kick-started the journey with auditions in Francistown in April.

On the criteria used, Phuthego   cited clarity of concept,confidence,  understanding of the issue at hand. intelligence, eloquence and ambition.

 She further said they wanted to see poise, bearing and the way they walked which depicted one’s confidence.  Phuthego said they also were looking for impact which they had on the judges and audience when answering questions.

She said they had engaged contestants on Mindset Change and checked them for sense of leadership  and personal style as the winner  would represent Miss Universe brand. ENDS