Miss Tourism Zim owes success to foreign firm

By Sharon Muguwu

Organisers of the Miss Tourism Zimbabwe 2016 had to turn to a South African production company to fulfil their dream of holding a world-class beauty pageant.

Miss Tourism Zimbabwe spokeperson Alson Darikayi told the Daily News on Sunday that they could not find a local company which met their specifications.

“TMV Staging and Set Productions from South Africa was contracted by Miss Tourism Zimbabwe to do the stage. We wanted something world-class and internationally competitive so we did our research and homework thoroughly.

“No one here in Zimbabwe had demonstrated the capacity to do what we expected after we looked at all major events that have been hosted and organised in Zimbabwe. Yes, Zimbabweans need to raise their bar and be globally competitive,” he told the Daily News on Sunday.

Darikayi said Miss Tourism Zimbabwe 2016 were unwilling to take the risk of hiring a local company with no proven track record.

That’s the benchmark we adopted for Miss Tourism Zimbabwe 2016. We contracted experts who have acquitted themselves very well in different areas, stage, lighting and sound.

“We worked with people who play a key role on the entertainment and showbiz scene in South Africa. I would call them the best of South Africa.

“These are the guys who do your SA idols, Miss South Africa and major musical shows in South Africa featuring international artistes,” he said.

The Miss Tourism Zimbabwe spokesperson, however, pointed out that locals were not completely left out of the production process.

“We then had Zimbabwean experts also assisting as shadow in each department and those that worked under this SA team learnt a lot.

“They now know our standard and next year we won’t hesitate to contract local guys. We have set the standard and bar and will not settle for less.

We actually want to deliver much better than we did this year in 2017,” Darikayi said.

TMV Staging and Set Productions Company spokesperson, Mashilo Moreroa, told the Daily News on Sunday that they were proud to have played an important role in the organisation of Miss Tourism Zimbabwe 2016.

“I designed the stage and they made some few changes. To make the curve ramp, I used the normal stages and I cut some ply boards to make filler pieces like triangles. I put them in between the stages to hold them together and also put some strips of wood on the sides to make a smooth curve.

The stage is called rostrum. It’s made out of steel and ply board wood,” he said.

Last Friday saw Miss Tourism Zimbabwe 2016 Ashley Morgan walking away with $20 000 prize money as the queen with first  princess Nonhlahla Dube bagging $10 000 while second princess  Shirley-Ann Lindsay got $5 000.

The $20 000 first prize was availed by First Lady Grace Mugabe.

Morgan will also receive a car at a handover ceremony set for next week.

“We still want to maintain the type of the car as a secret only to be unveiled at the prize-giving and handover ceremony in the next few days.

But the car is there already and it is ready for the winner to drive,” Darikayi said. Daily News