Mohalenyane Phakela
Dona@Balos Hospitality and Chef School has lined up a beauty pageant for 30 September with the aim of introducing culinary arts training in the beauty industry.
The winner will be awarded a full scholarship to study for a diploma at the institution valued at M65 000. This includes an internship programme in Ghana.
The first runner up will be awarded a full certificate scholarship and the second princess will receive a 50% discount on the course of her choice at the institution.
A representative of the organisers, Limakatso Tso?ane, said they felt it necessary to combine the beauty industry and the culinary arts as the disciplines were already linked by their appeal to the tourism sector.
“Much like beauty pageants, culinary arts are also considered to be cornerstones of tourism and in many international pageants contestants often compete in preparing dishes,” Tso?ane said in a recent interview with Xpress People.
“There is also nothing better than beauty with brains so we also want to equip beauty queens with other skills to enable them to become prominent business people in future.”
Ms Tso?ane said registration for the pageant was opened on Friday and will run until 30 June. Thereafter, SMS voting for the entrants will begin until the day of the event.
“It is common for beauty queens to cry foul after the crowning so we decided to introduce the SMS voting process which will be administrated by an external independent company.
“We will publicise on a weekly basis via different media platforms such as radios, newspapers, Facebook and Twitter just like it was done during the Miss Lesotho Sunday Express last year so that each contestant can be able to view her performance. An external panel of judges will decide on how much votes are needed to crown a winner,” she said.
Dona@Balos Hospitality and Chef School was established in 2013 by renowned Chef Donald Moletsane to promote culinary arts in the country.
The institution has since won a number of accolades including the fourth place at the Nelson Mandela Culinary Cup competitions in South Africa in 2015.
Two Diploma students were offered internships in Abu Dhabi after impressing at a competition in the emirate last December.
Another eight students are already in Ghana.