Twenty-one-year old Mwaiwathu Khupe Sunday engraved her own history in the realm of pageantry when she was crowned Miss Heritage Malawi 2023 during its first live grand finale held at Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre.
Khupe, who is expected to represent the country at the Miss Heritage Global in South Africa from September 13 to 24 2023, outshone 13 other finalists to claim the crown, which was handed over to her by Miss Heritage Malawi 2022 Renee Marcolus.
“It feels great to be crowned Miss Heritage Malawi 2023. I didn’t see this coming but glory be to God,” the soft-spoken Mwaiwathu, who is an entrepreneur, said.
A holder of Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Lab Technology from Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (Mubas), Mwaiwathu could not hold back tears of joy when her name was announced by Chief Judge Lucy Nkonjera close to midnight, drawing ecstasy from the audience that included her parents and relatives.
As a winner, apart from travelling to South Africa in September, Mwaiwathu received items and packages alongside her first and second princesses, 21-year-old Victoria Michongwe, a holder of a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from DMI University and 22-year old Rita Mwase, a fourth-year student of History and Social Studies at Domasi College of Education, who was also voted the Miss Influencer.
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Unlike in other pageants where contestants parade in a number of categories, the 14 finalists cat walked in an introductory category and later dinner wear before the judges came up with the top five that underwent a question and answer session before Mwaiwathu’s triumph.
Earlier on, there was the crowning of Miss Personality which went to Daisy Shukran Maundala, Catherine Chimphanda (Miss Photogenic) and Yvonne Chanache (Miss Confidence).
Chief Executive Officer and National Director of Miss Heritage Malawi, Madalo Mkuwu, described the event as a success.
“The event was colourful and people came to support me. This is the beginning of more things to come, having been doing the selection through social media in the past two editions,” Mkuwu said.
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Hosted by renowned television personality Ruth Kulaisi, the red carpet event, that received a good audience, was spiced up by performances from Lulu and Mathumela Band, Goma Nyondo, Refilwe, DJ Gene and Tuno, who was the surprise guest on the night.
The red carpet event, which received support from, among others, CTS Courier, Amaryllis Hotel and Entertainers Promotions and saw the presence of Miss Culture Malawi Memory Sanjira and Miss Heritage Malawi 2021 Juliana Banda, run under the theme ‘Mental Health’.
