Lerato Matheka
MASERU — Sixteen Miss Vodacom PC FM finalists will next month vie for a brand new GWM Florida worth M114 000, Vodacom Lesotho announced on this week.
In last year’s contest, the GWM Florida was scooped by Refiloe Pheku.
Vodacom Lesotho has injected M190 000 into the annual beauty pageant which is scheduled for July 7 at ’Manthabiseng Convention Centre.
Speaking at a press conference in Maseru on Thursday, Sekonyela Matamane, Vodacom Lesotho marketing coordinator said on top of the M190 000, Vodacom would still incur other costs to host the pagent including phone prizes for the finalists, prizes for the Short Message Service (SMS) competition and advertisement costs for the competition.
Matamane said the 2012 version of the pageant would enable the public to vote on the internet using different social networks.
“We are trying to meet the international standards of competitions of this calibre by enabling people around the world to vote for their favourite delegate. But there is still the SMS line voting,” he said.
He said Vodacom planned to make the pageant a very recognisable brand.
“We want to turn it into an all year activity filled with events so that people don’t only relate to it as a beauty competition with prizes but a platform of grooming Lesotho’s ambassadors and responsible young women.”
PC FM’s station manager Kholu Qhobela said this year’s competition had been very participatory.
“We had about 45-50 entries of young women and I must say choosing the 16 finalists was very tough.”
Qhobela said they had budgeted “approximately half a million excluding the car prizes towards the contest”.
She said they moved the pageant back from September to July because “It clashed with school terms”.
“Last year we had a big problem with finalists not being able to attend practice because they had classes to attend so we moved back to the normal date of July.”
Qhobela emphasised that despite the chilly weather, “the dress code remains formal”.
Qhobela said entertainment would include acts by South African Jazz gurus Stimela and fellow hip hop star JR.
“The line-up appeals to both the young and old generation. We have booked Stimela to cater for the jazz lovers.”
She said negotiations with local musos were yet to be finalised.
“We only had one group approaching us while the others submitted quotations, so we are still looking into booking a local group.”
Qhobela said the event would end at around 23:00.
“The plan is not to have an all night party so we are looking to end the show as early as 23:00 hence the limited number of artists this year.”
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