Mr Ugly pageant gets uglier
Epworth-based Masvinu, who was also victorious in the same contest in 2012 and 2013, has now been replaced by Fanuel Musekiwa (61) who was the first runner-up at the pageant hosted by Isaac Mutangadura’s Ruwa-based Mtangaz Hideout last the weekend.
According to pageant organiser and founder David “Apama Styles” Machowa, Masvinu has been banned for life.
“For winning the pageant, Masvinu was supposed to be given a bull but he opted to be given $500 in cash instead.
The fact that the sponsor (Isaac Mutangadura) had to sell the bull to get the cash for Masvinu caused the payment delay but the dethroned Mr Ugly was very impatient,” said Apama Styles.
He added that: “Instead of him (Masvinu) dealing with me concerning his winning prize, he went behind my back and manhandled the sponsor.
We therefore had no choice but to dethrone him for dragging the name of the pageant into the mud.”
Apama Styles added that the decision to dethrone Masvinu was arrived at after taking into consideration the fact that he has “repeatedly exhibited” violent tendencies at the Mr Ugly pageant over the years.
“This is not the first time Masvinu has engaged in violent activities at Mr Ugly. He once threatened another former sponsor — Devine Assignments director Biggie Chinoperekwei — over the same issue and for this reason we have to part ways with him,” Mr Ugly founder said.
When the Daily News contacted Masvinu’s manager Michael Gundo, he insisted that Apama Styles converted to his own use the money meant for the dethroned Mr Ugly.
“Apama took time to give us our money. Imagine since December 3 up to now. He only paid us $100 instead of $500.
“It is not easy to parade before the whole world showcasing your ugliness and in the end getting nothing for it.
“We understand Apama got $500 from the sponsor Mutangadura but instead of giving us our money Apama chose to pocket it. Masvinu is prepared to be stripped of the title as long as he gets his prize money,” Gundo said.
He claimed that they reported the matter at Ruwa Police station in a bid to force Apama to release the prize money.
But the claims by Masvinu’s manager were rubbished by Mutangadura.
“What they are saying is not true. In fact, they were supposed to deal with Apama not me. I never gave Apama any money so how could he misuse money that I never gave him in the first place?” the Mtangaz Hideout proprietor said.
The unfolding drama at Mr Ugly won’t come as a surprise to many. The 2015 Mr Ugly pageant almost degenerated into a brawl after Masvinu refused to concede defeat to Mison Sere. He argued that Sere’s ugliness wasn’t natural since it was based on missing teeth.
He threatened to beat up the pageant’s adjudicators-Sharlene Nyakurai, Abigirl Mataranyika and Denzel Masawi — after accusing them of bias.
“That was not fair. How could he (Sere) win when he was number four the previous year?
“What has changed all of a sudden for him to win this time around?
“You made him the winner simply because of missing teeth. But does that define ugliness? Do you want me to remove some of my teeth to reclaim my position,” an agitated Masvinu said then. DailyNews
