Bulawayo– After being crowned 1st Princess at Miss Curvy (NUST) last month, Ntando Khumalo’s journey against anti-body shaming has come to a sudden halt as she has been disqualified from the Miss Curvy (Zimbabwe) contest.
Of the three Miss Curvy (NUST) finalists, Khumalo is the only one who had confirmed her participation in the competition.
“I was supposed to represent Bulawayo in Miss Curvy Zimbabwe but when they found out that I contested in Miss Curvy (NUST),I got disqualified,” she said.
According to the organisers of the event, Khumalo was disqualified because she took part in the bogus’ Miss curvy pageant at NUST.
“It’s conflict of interest, if there was no newspaper article mentioning that you took part in in the bogus pageant we would have considered you but I am sorry we can’t. Since you hold a title for that pageant you can serve this year and maybe audition next year at the Miss Curvy,” the organiser said to Khumalo.
Khumalo, whose goal is to make sure that women are proud of their voluptuous bodies expressed her disappointment.
“At the end of the day, I wanted to be able to inspire young girls who think their bodies aren’t beautiful to gain confidence.”
The reigning Miss Curvy (NUST), Nicholet Machauza, said she shared the same sentiments adding that she is not sure whether she will take part in the contest.
“I want to inspire other ladies out there to be secure and show off their bodies, and fight against body shaming. I am planning on serving as a spokesmodel and make sure more girls compete next year,” Machuaza said
Khumalo is a product of former beauty queen; Samantha Tshuma’s, Open Eye Modelling agency.
The Miss Curvy Zimbabwe competition is slated for December 21.
