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Minister mediates in Malaika mess

Minister mediates in Malaika mess

HEALTH Minister Libertina Amathila yesterday intervened to try and sort out a dispute over the choice of a beauty queen whom some disgruntled judges claimed was wrongly crowned on the authority of one judge.

Amathila, who is the patron of Miss Malaika Namibia pageant, said the unhappy judges had agreed to let the matter rest and accept “independent judge” Matthew Gowaseb’s choice of Helena Mungunda. But the judges, who distanced themselves from Mungunda’s weekend crowning stuck to their guns yesterday.Gowaseb and the organisers of the competition maintained no wrong had been committed.Amathila said she had to intervene.”This matter is just becoming petty and childish.I have spoken to [disgruntled judges Graham] Howard, to Kennedy [Hamutenya] and to Odette [Krempin] and they have agreed to accept Mungunda as Miss Malaika and we have also agreed to meet at a later date so the organisers can explain themselves to the judges,” the Health Minister said.”I’m a grown person and as the patron I felt it was my duty to mediate”.The pageant’s executive producer, Tonata Shiimi, speaking to The Namibian yesterday, said: “I naively assumed that the judges knew what the role of an independent judge is and I stand firmly by his decision.The final phase of the competition was based entirely on the final question the top three girls were asked”.The final question centred on the HIV-AIDS pandemic, and AIDS health worker Mungunda impressed Gowaseb.Ernest Coovi Adjovi, who holds the rights and licence agreements for both the International Miss Malaika competition as well as the Kora Music Awards, was not entirely satisfied with the process.He said: “We have decided to ask the licencee from Namibia to have the results tallied.The man who bought the licence can make the rules but it is important that the results are fair and just.What’s the point of having six or seven people involved in the judging process when there is one who can vote over all of them? There should have been an auditor”.Shiimi’s company, A-Z Investments Holdings (Pty) Ltd, holds the licence agreement for the pageant in Namibia.Shiimi has admitted to not reading the agreement thoroughly.An A-Z statement said the matter had been resolved.But Hamutenya, Krempin and Abner Xoagub, of the National AIDS Control Programme, dismissed statements that “the matter has now been laid to rest”.The controversy has drawn widespread interest from several quarters, including the University of Namibia whose Acting Vice Chancellor Lazarus Hangula feels the two finalists, who are Unam students, were “robbed”.”There are people and media who never see anything positive with Unam.For them Unam is doing nothing; Unam is producing no properly qualified personnel; Unam is wasting resources.Who knows the answer if even a deserving Unam student is deprived of her Miss Malaika crown?” Hangula said in a speech marking the opening the 2004 academic year.Miss Malaika Africa 2003 has yet to be chosen, after several postponements believed to have been forced by lack of money.Namibia was asked to host it but funds could not be raised for the pageant.The Miss Malaika International 2003 finals will now be held at Gallagher Estate in Johannesburg on February 28.But the judges, who distanced themselves from Mungunda’s weekend crowning stuck to their guns yesterday. Gowaseb and the organisers of the competition maintained no wrong had been committed. Amathila said she had to intervene. “This matter is just becoming petty and childish. I have spoken to [disgruntled judges Graham] Howard, to Kennedy [Hamutenya] and to Odette [Krempin] and they have agreed to accept Mungunda as Miss Malaika and we have also agreed to meet at a later date so the organisers can explain themselves to the judges,” the Health Minister said. “I’m a grown person and as the patron I felt it was my duty to mediate”. The pageant’s executive producer, Tonata Shiimi, speaking to The Namibian yesterday, said: “I naively assumed that the judges knew what the role of an independent judge is and I stand firmly by his decision. The final phase of the competition was based entirely on the final question the top three girls were asked”. The final question centred on the HIV-AIDS pandemic, and AIDS health worker Mungunda impressed Gowaseb. Ernest Coovi Adjovi, who holds the rights and licence agreements for both the International Miss Malaika competition as well as the Kora Music Awards, was not entirely satisfied with the process. He said: “We have decided to ask the licencee from Namibia to have the results tallied. The man who bought the licence can make the rules but it is important that the results are fair and just. What’s the point of having six or seven people involved in the judging process when there is one who can vote over all of them? There should have been an auditor”. Shiimi’s company, A-Z Investments Holdings (Pty) Ltd, holds the licence agreement for the pageant in Namibia. Shiimi has admitted to not reading the agreement thoroughly. An A-Z statement said the matter had been resolved. But Hamutenya, Krempin and Abner Xoagub, of the National AIDS Control Programme, dismissed statements that “the matter has now been laid to rest”. The controversy has drawn widespread interest from several quarters, including the University of Namibia whose Acting Vice Chancellor Lazarus Hangula feels the two finalists, who are Unam students, were “robbed”. “There are people and media who never see anything positive with Unam. For them Unam is doing nothing; Unam is producing no properly qualified personnel; Unam is wasting resources. Who knows the answer if even a deserving Unam student is deprived of her Miss Malaika crown?” Hangula said in a speech marking the opening the 2004 academic year. Miss Malaika Africa 2003 has yet to be chosen, after several postponements believed to have been forced by lack of money. Namibia was asked to host it but funds could not be raised for the pageant. The Miss Malaika International 2003 finals will now be held at Gallagher Estate in Johannesburg on February 28.

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