In what may be a first for South Africa, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) on Tuesday announced that it had launched a beauty pageant in KwaZulu-Natal.
And the search for Miss IFP KwaZulu-Natal has already received overwhelming interest, according to the IFP’s Sipho Mbatha, the organiser behind the event.
Mbatha, who is also a member of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature, said: ”The response, both from the public and sponsors, has so far been overwhelming”.
Asked if entrants needed to be members of the party, Mbatha laughed and said they should have a good knowledge of the IFP.
He said details of the first prize would be announced at a media briefing in July.
The IFP’s 57 constituency areas in the province would have until September to choose their top 10 contestants.
The ”top five beauties” to emerge from the 11 district-level pageants in November would contest the finals a month later in Durban.
Mbatha said he hoped the event, which is open to women between the ages of 16 and 25, would become an annual event.
Miss IFP KwaZulu-Natal is expected to be chosen at a gala event in Durban in December.
The pageant is a joint initiative of the IFP provincial executive and the IFP Youth Brigade.
”By interacting with the youth on a fun level, we are hoping to improve their participation in the electoral process.
”Given the widespread lack of interest in politics and voter apathy amongst the province’s youth and first-time voters, this is a challenge,” said Mbatha.
Asked if the Democratic Alliance would be staging a Miss DA pageant, a stunned DA KwaZulu-Natal caucus leader Roger Burrows said: ”What? ”Definitely not.”
The KwaZulu-Natal secretary general of the African National Congress Senzo Mchunu said: ”We don’t have it [a Miss ANC beauty pageant]”. — Sapa