‘We paid miss Zambia 2016 K5000’

By Watchdog on May 7, 20173 Comments

Platinum Events, the new franchise owners of the Miss Zambia beauty pageant, have said online reports suggesting that they have failed to honour their obligations to last year’s winner Louisa Josephs Chingangu are not true.

Platinum says they have paid Louisa $500 (about K5000). Eish, Zambian pageants are affordable hey?”!

A report on a Facebook page called Zambian Fashion alleged that after her crowning, Louisa was supposed to receive a motor vehicle, K50,000 (US$5,000) cash, a job and a return air ticket to Miss World 2016/17.

“Of the prizes won by Miss Zambia, only the motor vehicle was given; no job, no return air ticket and a cash of only K2,000 (US$200). Platinum Events later changed the statement stating that only K3,000 (US$300) was stated as cash prize when the entire nation knows that the cash prize was K50,000,” the report reads.
“Platinum Events has already advertised to begin the process of selecting Miss Zambia 2017 without even making the Miss Zambia 2016 aware of the matter…[The] Miss Zambia is being ignored and restricted from attending public or television shows.”

But in a statement to, Platinum Events chief operating officer MacPherson Mutale says they are a corporate institution and with an image to protect.

“Miss Zambia was advertised without the mention of winner’s package trip to the Miss World 2016. As a matter of fact, the 34 final contestants selected for the first boot camp were sincerely and openly told that, as a result of Miss World rules and the USA immigration regulations, the Miss World Organisation which was held in the USA, would only accept applicants two months before the finals,” MacPherson says.

“Prior to that, November 10 had been set as the date for the Miss Zambia 2016 with then high hopes that the winner would make it to the Miss World a month after the Miss Zambia.

Unfortunately, that was rejected by the Miss World.
“As a result, we postponed the Miss Zambia to December 17 to provide us with enough time for many of the contestants who were sitting for exams and to also produce the first ever Miss Zambia Radio show on Power FM hosted by reigning Miss Zambia 2014 Michelo Malambo and television series shown on ZNBC.”
MacPherson says they want to select the Miss Zambia 2017 by August in time for the Miss World to be held in China in December.
“Miss Zambia 2016 is expected to grace the Miss Africa pageant slated for May 20 in Rwanda. And about the job opportunity to winners with qualifications, the first princess Mwangala Ikacana acquired a job with Zambian Lotto who were among our main sponsors,” he says.
“We’ve made full commitment to support and rally behind Miss Zambia as mentioned on our official Facebook page inclusive of her appearance to host the red carpet of our about to be launched Africa Hip Hop Awards in Lusaka on May 26 with stars like Sarkodie, M.I, Khaligrahp Jones and Navio expected to grace the event.”

On the prize money, he says all the winners were rewarded with Louisa, on top of the car, also getting US$500 of which 60 percent was to be paid on the night of the pageant.

Macpherson also says Louisa, a student at Cavendish, is aware of the Miss Zambia 2017 as she is an active participant on the Miss Zambia 2017 WhatsApp group.

“it’s unfortunate that we are seeing efforts to discredit the hard work of our team to selflessly bring the prestige and uniqueness associated with the Miss Zambia brand, we’re willing to sweat with our partners and sponsors to provide a house for the Miss Zambia 2017 winner,” he says.

https://www.zambiawatchdog.com/we-paid-miss-zambia-2016-k5000/comment-page-1/