LESEGO LA BATSWANA
By Phemelo Ramasu Lesego La Batswana, or Jesus' Child as some fondly call Miss World-Botswana, Lesego Chombo, inherited her striking height from her dear father, Othusitse Motswanageng Chombo.
From her beautiful mother, Ditebo Chombo, she got the light complexion and the ability to express herself. Born in a loving environment, where family is everything, her doting father who is proud of what her last-born child has achieved, does not run short of words to express how he feels about his daughter.
Lesego Chombo is one of the 130 beauty queens from across the world who are currently in India, where they are vying to be crowned the 71st Miss World winner.
The outgoing Miss World, Karolina Bielawska will on March 9th hand over the coveted blue crown to a new queen. And Chombo, who is already making the right moves, which are attracting the eyes of beauty pageant analysts,
has three weeks to showcase why she is worthy of that blue crown.
Having seen the transformation of her daughter into the queen that she is today, and seeing how she is able to unite the country, her father whom the Queen has nicknamed ‘Papsie-Daisy,’ believes that her daughter has the same chance to win the Miss World pageant just like any other queen who is in India right now. This is something that he has instilled in her.
“I have told her to aim for a win. If anybody can win that title, so can she. I have also informed her that she is a star,” the proud father says. He has also given her daughter a pep talk that she should not let fear derail her from what she has gone to do. In fact, there should be no room for fear. Above all, he wants the country to join his family in prayers, and pray for Lesego to successfully bring the crown to Botswana.
A man of prayer, he believes that with joined hands in prayer, the crown that has been eluding the country for years, will come to Botswana.
Speaking in an interview with this publication, he says as a child, Lesego loved to sing, and dance. On Tuesday afternoon, the family had arrived earlier during the day from Gaborone, where they had watched their ever-smiling daughter depart for India over the weekend.
Describing her upbringing, he explains that his daughter was raised well, and that she showed the ability to excel from a very young age. At home and school, she stood out from the rest. This special character propelled some teachers to approach her family, and ask that she skip Form 3.
She did so exceptionally well on her Form 3 exams. So well that one school, Okavango International, offered her a sponsorship. Not one to play with opportunities, she grabbed that chance with two hands, and continued with her winning streak.
According to her father, along the way, Lesego expressed her love for pageantry. She would go on to enter Queen Esther pageant which she won. She later expressed her desire to study Law, and just like they have always done, her family stood by her.
Having conquered Queen Esther, she then cast her eyes on the Miss Botswana crown, a journey that took a couple of years before it transformed into the reality that it is today.
“She is a determined young lady, and she is not afraid to go after what she desires,” he explained.
The family believes that she is going to do extraordinary things in India. “We believe that she is going to bring that big title to Botswana,” he said confidently. So close is Lesego to her father that she shares everything with him. “I am very proud of her, and what she is doing. I have been hearing what people are saying about her, and they only have good things to say about her. This gives us great hope that she is going to win,” he explained.
While some parents might be biting their nails, anxious and filled with fear, he says that for them it is the opposite. One of the things that the family has been doing is motivating and inspiring her to reach for the skies.
They did this on Friday night, as they spent the night with her. The family is also keeping contact with her as much as they can. When her schedule permits, they have WhatsApp calls with her.
Lesego is the last born in a family of four. She has two older brothers, and an elder sister. His family is appealing to the nation to assist them to travel to India on March 6th, so that they can witness their daughter reaching for the sky.
The family is hoping that four members including Lesego’s parents, and two siblings will be able to get that once in a lifetime opportunity. The Director of Miss Botswana, Ben Raletsatsi, who’s worked closely with Lesego described her as a one-of-a kind queen, a go-getter, and very determined. Everything that she desires, she goes after without missing a heart-beat. “She is very determined, and sometimes she shocks us. She believes in her capabilities. One of her strongest support structures is her father,” he explained.
He adds that the pageant was officially launched this Tuesday, and urged Batswana to stay poised for the Miss World-Botswana strategy in the coming weeks.