On the eve of independence, Batswana thronged the Grand Palm to witness who would be crowned the 2015 Miss Botswana. The fairest of them all was a soft spoken, confident young lady from the quiet village of Mmadinare, Ms Seneo Mabengano. Fresh off the runway, Lifestyle caught up with Seneo and her runner ups alongside the Miss Botswana Spokesperson, Tshepo Maphanyane. When they made an impromptu visit, they lightened up the Sunday Standard testosterone filled newsroom as the boys were ecstatic to have the opportunity to have a brief chat about their future endeavours in the competitive industry.
The hype was real, the buildup was massive and Batswana witnessed for the first time a Miss Botswana pageant with a difference. Through a weekly documentary, the Miss Botswana crew kept Batswana abreast of all the proceedings in the journey they embarked on until they crowned their queen.
Seneo is a 19-year-old lady currently studying Professional Design at Limkokwing University. She is a bubbly and loving girl who says she loves children. She feels compelled to use her new role to do the best she can to assist where possible abandoned children. Having had to sacrifice her school classes to honour the responsibilities that came with the preparations for the competition, the dazzling queen expressed no regrets. She says she intends to resume her studies, but right now she is concentrating on making the best of being crowned the Queen.
“My highlights during the journey to Miss Botswana would be the time we had to perform our talents. My major talent is Fine Art and at that point in time I didn’t have Art materials with me so I had to do the second thing I thought I was good at which is singing. I wasn’t bad at it, but rather funny,” she says. As for her Beauty with a purpose project which is called ‘They need us,’ it is aimed at protecting and nurturing abandoned babies until they transition into adulthood or until they have been adopted. Seneo is looking forward to taking on the world stage and representing her beloved country Botswana at Miss World in December.
First Princess, Nicole Lisa Gaelebale, is a 24 year old from Mahalapye and is currently working as a TV host at Studio 24 film and design and a part time student at Botswana Accountancy College studying AAT. Dancing and spending time with family is what she enjoys most. Should Seneo for any reason be unable to proceed with her reign, it will be Nicole’s responsibility to step in her shoes.
And in the seat of 2nd princess is Maun born, Peggy Grynberg, 19-years of age. She is currently a student at the University of Botswana, studying Criminal justice. Her interests include modeling, exercise, health and model coaching.
