Mrs Botswana is Mrs Top Africa

 

The beautiful queen of the universe, otherwise Mrs Botswana, Portiah Sthabiso Mokgathong has kept her promise to win at the just ended grand finale of Mrs Universe in Philippines.

It is the first time ever, since the inception of the pageant, that Botswana bagged three titles at the international competition. In the past, other contestants have won Mrs Top Africa in 2018 and made it to top 25, but Mokgathong grabbed both, plus won the national costume. The confident queen has been doing well throughout her Mrs Botswana journey and in her previous interviews with this publication, she said “My wish is to bring the crown home and with the support from my pageantry team and the public at large, I will make it”.

Her national costume could not be ignored, it featured a captivating headpiece adorned with a sculpture of the Kori bustard, Africa's largest and heaviest flying bird, weighing approximately 18 kilograms. Kori bustard is also Botswana’s national bird, something that a lot of people are not aware of.

This traditional attire also paid tribute to Botswana's rich cultural heritage. It symbolises the country's famed diamond industry and intricate basketry craftsmanship. The ensemble further incorporated the colors of Botswana's flag: blue, black, and white. Additionally, she proudly held a shield featuring Botswana's national coat of arms.

Director of Mrs Botswana, Kgalalelo Lesetedi expressed gratitude towards this win. She told Vibe that this is a sign that the pageant is growing. She also applauded Batswana for their immense support saying that visible support calls for positive results.

“We are very proud of our queen. She has maintained her hard work throughout the competition and represented us very well. She has won three titles, Mrs Top Africa Universe, first Runner up National costumes and Top 25 finalist and this just shows growth to us,” she said.

Lesetedi applauded all those who assisted with wardrobe, especially MET Designs Fashions, which made history for Botswana to win a first time award. She also thanked the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, who supported them since day one. The queen will be back home from Philippines this Friday and Lesetedi has pleaded with the public to go and welcome the queen and celebrate her.