Miss Lake Zone prize rejected

Mwanza. The Miss Lake Zone pageantry is expected to take place tomorrow, August 4, in the city of Mwanza, even as a Toyota Passo vehicle set to be handed over to the winner of the beauty contest as the ultimate prize being rejected.

The director of The Look Company that organises Miss Tanzania, Ms Basilla Mwanukuzi, has said they have written a letter to the National Arts Council of Tanzania (NACT), requesting the latter to swap the current prize with one that will match the status of the contest.

“The reward is not in line with the status of the contest. I know they have been making efforts to give fabulous prizes, but to speak the truth we do not agree with this. We have tried to make several calls to them, but they are not responding. So, now we have written a letter, whose copy we have sent to NACT,” said Basilla.

According to Basilla, who her herself was Miss Tanzania 1998, the organisers of the contest in the preliminary stages are not necessarily required to give a fabulous prize. Instead, they ought to find contestants with the required merits and run the contest with professionalism.

“They need to leave fabulous prizes like vehicles to us when the contest is in full swing. I know they have a good intention, but we do not accept this,” she insisted.

However, Miss Lake Zone organiser Fred Kikoti says he has no information about whether the reward of the Passo vehicle valued at Sh8 million has been rejected.

“The finale of Miss Lake Zone is being held tomorrow and we keep doing well. However, until now we have not communicated with coordinators of Miss Tanzania, but we hope they will arrive here because they are also part of tomorrow’s judging panel,” said Kikoti.