MBABANE – Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture (ENCAC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stanley Dlamini has stated that the council will not be held accountable for unregistered models and pageants.
This statement follows a recent engagement with youth, where questions were posed about their interest in joining Miss Eswatini, particularly after last year’s pageant involving the current Miss Eswatini, Temvelo Mtsetfwa, who is still without the car she was promised. Many of the women allegedly expressed concerns over issues such as pimping and alleged inappropriate conduct within the kingdom’s pageant industry.
In the context of pageants, ‘pimping’ is not a literal term referring to the act of prostitution, but rather it’s a slang term used to describe unethical or manipulative behaviour that exploits or benefits from the contestants’ participation in the pageant for personal gain. This exploitation can involve using the pageant platform to promote personal business ventures, solicit donations or even create a network of connections for personal advancement, all at the expense of the contestants’ well-being and fair competition.
In an interview, ENCAC CEO Stanley Dlamini dismissed claims of pimping involving models and pageants registered with the council. He explained that those who experience pimping are often not registered with ENCAC.
“We once said all pageants should register with ENCAC, including models. Since they registered with us, we have not encountered any pimping issues. What is happening now is that most models do not want to register with ENCAC and it is these unregistered models who are witnessing pimping. We advise registration so they can be regulated and avoid such practices,” Stanley said.
More details in today’s paper.
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