Miss Rural Zimbabwe

So much has been said of late on this issue that it would be unfair for us not to comment. Consequently we shall comment on the ZINWA issue after this one.

Miss Rural Zimbabwe has existed for more than three years now with little or no problems and complaints about what it stands for and the way it is run from Government officials. However since the live beaming on national television, in full view of children and visitors from other countries,of a hired musician from Botswana popularly known as Vee embarrassingly and disgustingly displaying to us what he thinks of the whole show, suddenly tongues are wagging, government is acting and officials are distancing themselves from the whole fiasco. Some officials in the tourism sector, which has sponsored this pageant in the past are saying they have nothing to do with it and they want the organisers investigated.

For those of you that missed the incident on ZTV this is what happened. During his performance Vee, of the Taku Taku fame called some girls on to the stage and with the help of some of his male dancers went on to perform dances that are nothing short of sexual acts on these helpless girls who were visibly shaken during and after the whole incident. A week or so later, Vee is back in his country with a fatter pocket, his image and that of his country still in tact while this country and its youths' images are in a fix again, never mind the fact that that whole show was in a bid to spruce it up.

Our question is, apart from Betty Makoni of the Girl Child Network, who from the on set explicitly expressed her displeasure at Mrs Sipho Mazibuko's experiment on the beauty and innocence of the rural girl, where were all these other voices that are now being heard complaining? Where were the Ministries that deal with the Youth,Gender, and Tourism? Surely when the first pageant was being broadcast live on ZTV a few years ago these sectors were wide awake and watching.

What makes it different now? Is it that the world saw it raw and because this was being done by a foreigner? because the sexual abuse on some of these girls has been taking place for years behind the camera. For how long will the youths and in particular the girls cry before action is taken. Would Betty Makoni's cries for an investigation into this issue have been echoed had those images not appeared on TV? We wounder!

We have no answers to these questions but hope that you can speak your mind on these issues. Do you think Sipho Mazibuko should be investigated?, Do you think the relevant Ministries are Partly to blame for this assault on the rural girl by taking so long to respond on the issue? Do you think there is talent to reap in placing our rural girls in the spotlight, on the ramp, in a drinking hall? Do you think there is talent to showcase in Modeling at all? if there is what is it and how can it help market our country. Remember, Zimbabwe does not have a monopoly of beautiful women, are there no better ways of promoting the nation without exploiting our youths in this manner.

Youths speak your mind. Click on Comment and a comments page will appear then tell us what you really think about this issue. Remember we should respect each other's opinions.

NYDT