‘Mabotle Lesotho Pageants has done it again! For the third time it sent its models to compete outside the country and, for the second time running, they came back with victory.
Thato Rakotsoane was one of Lesotho’s four representatives who competed at the National Beauty Pageant South Africa last week, and emerged as the first runner-up.
Lesotho’s second shot at the competition in 2023 proved to be the most successful, with Thato Sello walking away with 10 awards.
‘Mabotle Lesotho is a non-profit making organization, built under the influence of beauty pageant and modeling. Its main aim is to empower young Basotho girls through the platform of pageantry, to advocate for their beliefs and and showcase their talents while also boosting their self-esteem to help them achieve their wildest dreams.
It was established in 2022 by renowned beauty queen Liteboho Makoetje.
Makoetje told theReporter in an interview this week that the pageant became her project, after she realized how young girls were overlooked and not given enough opportunities to shine.
“There are no special requirements to join; ‘Mabotle is the home for all girls who want to be the best versions of themselves,” Makoetje noted.
Casting more light on the National Beauty Pageant South Africa, she said it is a beauty competition open for all girls in the Southern Africa region. It aims to empower young girls through the power of being a voice for the voiceless and assist them to achieve their dreams. Apart from that, it aims to instill confidence in young girls.
This is also a way of helping young girls to be focused in their careers and to overcome global challenges like teenage pregnancies, girl child marriage and the use of drugs among young girls. This year’s competition was held in Pretoria South Africa from Friday to Saturday last week.
“This was our third time sending our models; this time we sent off four models to compete in the neighbouring country, where they all made it to the top 3 in their respective categories, and won prizes.
“Thato’s win and those of the other girls means so much to the team and to me; it’s something I didn’t expect as the competition was very tight in her category. It was her first time and she came up against models who had a big advantage over her. However, she made it,” Makoetje said.
Makoetje does not believe she has achieved all the goals she set when she first started the organisation, as she has bigger dreams for the girls.
“Some of my goals had always been to see young girls loving and appreciating themselves the way they are, to be confident in who they are and spread message of love and hope to the whole world.
“I can say my girls have mastered the art of self-confidence, although I think we still have a long way to go,” she added.
Notwithstanding the achievements, Makoetje has encountered challenges along the way but she always tries to view them as motivation to push harder.
“In Lesotho, pageantry is not yet recognized and celebrated as much as we wish, but every single day becomes better and hopefully. In the upcoming years, we will be talking about something different.
“I would like to encourage every young girl and parent who value their talents and wish to use the talents to make a living, to join ‘Mabotle. This is a home for young ambitious girls, who are not afraid to follow their dreams,” she concluded.
