Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Reporter
NATIONAL University of Science and Technology (Nust) final year student, Jemima Mandemwa will have yet another opportunity to showcase her beauty to an international audience when she takes part in the Miss Environmental International to be held in Goa, India in March next year.
Jemima Mandemwa
Mandemwa was crowned Miss Environment Zimbabwe at an event held in Bulawayo a fortnight ago where she saw off competition from 13 other contestants.
Patience Gumbo was the first princess while Isabelle Mutyavaviri was the second.
Jemima Mandemwa
The 21-year-old Mandemwa’s reward is getting to represent Zimbabwe at the Miss Environment International.
It is the second time that Mandemwa, a Bachelor of Commerce Honours Degree in Finance student at Nust is heading to an international event.
In 2019, Mandemwa was the first princess at the Miss Super Globe held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Jemima Mandemwa
“It’s more like living up my career, it feels so awesome and also so much of excitement, there so much hard work that I am also looking up to implementing towards getting the crown.
“I am so excited about this journey, I know I’ve been there in the past few years but for this one, I am more than happy to be taking part in it and I am more than proud to be representing Zimbabwe,’’ Mandemwa said.
She is looking to use the experience from Miss Super Globe as she has a go at the crown at Miss Environment International.
“Definitely, I am going for the crown, this time around I have experience, I know what the international standard is all about, what they are looking for in a queen.
So, I think with the knowledge I’ve taken from Miss Super Globe, I am able to take that knowledge to Miss Environmental International as well and also put up more effort as well than before and just put myself in a position that will make me an automatic queen, from day one up to the end of the competition,’’ she said with confidence.
Mandemwa has been modelling from the age of six and has been doing so professionally since she was 15.
She now owns her own clothing line, Sanguine Femi established in 2020. Mandemwa, however, does not don clothes from her line on stage as she instead goes for what she calls glamorous stuff when she competes.
Nigel Shamu, the Miss Environment International Zimbabwe licence holder is funding Mandemwa’s trip to India.
Shamu is travelling to India with Mandemwa, her mother and another Miss Environment International Zimbabwe director.
“We are going to do everything for her, dresses, plane ticket, registration. Miss Environment was the umbrella for our project.
We’ve got the person who got the second prize, the first runner-up, she is going to Miss Universal Women that is taking place in Dubai the whole of February next year, we are also covering her expenses.
“The second runner-up, Isabel Mutyavaviri, is going to Miss National Universe in Panama from 29 January to 3 February,’’ Shamu said.
Despite funding the beauties, Shamu is expecting nothing in return from the models as all he wants is for them to excel in the international competitions.
“I believe in service to humanity, I am not expecting anything. I want her to perform and win.
“The reason why I got that licence is because I am pushing environmental issues, as a miner, I’ve been doing projects focusing on the environment so I decided to get that licence so that we can speak about environment in Zimbabwe using the queens,’’ he said.
Part of Mandemwa’s preparations include her travelling around Zimbabwe from the beginning of January until early February to fulfil some of the requirements for participating in the Miss Environmental International.
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