Rumbidzai Mhlanga, Sunday Life Reporter
BULAWAYO-based twins who do not only share the same identity but the same goals and aspirations were recently crowned the first prince of the Mr and Miss Twins pageant in Harare.
The 24-year-old Tinashe and Tanaka Xaverio came first at the pageant which had 15 sets of twins.
Tinashe said it was funny how they were always passionate about the same things but it is more fun exploring them together.
“We always had a passion for sports but as we grew older, we became more exposed to the entertainment sector. After high school we did Information Technology at the Bulawayo Polytechnic but we felt as if we needed more, hence we went on to do nursing. Currently we are studying languages focusing on French at Alliance Francaise College.
“Since we had fallen in love with the entertainment industry, we are now doing acting and modelling. We were trained by Sarah Mpofu at Fingers Modelling Academy and we graduated February this year,” said Tinashe.
The twins said entering the Mr and Miss Twins pageant was a great experience for them and they learnt a lot from it.
“Firstly, we became part of the pageant because we wanted exposure so as to upgrade our modelling. We did not really know what to expect, we just knew we going to bring the title to Bulawayo. There were massive offers which included being a brand ambassador for a certain company, so in the modelling world, being an ambassador is the goal. Therefore, the pageant was exactly what we were looking for.”
“The pageant ran under the theme, ‘If you empower women, you have empowered the nation’ so we also went there with an open mind to hear how we can empower ladies. Being part of it was a great experience, we realised that pageant was not all about modelling only but also to empower the models and the nation at large,” he said.
Tanaka said apart from being empowered the pageant helped twins to bond and understand each other better.
“The pageant was designed for twins, to help them understand each other. Rumour says most twins fight against each other. We learnt that two voices are better than one so it is important for twins to unite against a cause. The activities we did helped us know each other even better, as for us we had always been close but activities that involved teamwork helped twins to bond, care and love each other more,” Tanaka said.
“Winning the pageant means a lot to us because we have upgraded our modelling career to being professionals and this will open a lot of doors for us in the industry. We can now say we are in the right direction and have caught people’s attention which is what we wanted. We are also glad we represented the city of Bulawayo since it was only us and Novuyo Seagirl with her twin,” he said. —@ruekushie