Zimbabwe`s ugliest man - crowned by women

Harare: Zimbabwe`s Austin Mbewe has been crowned the country`s ugliest man after he beat eight other hopefuls in a nationwide contest for the Mr. Ugly title this year. The judges were all women.

Mbewe, 30, who hails from Zimbabwe`s second largest city of Bulawayo, was crowned Saturday at a fun filled event in the Pagomo Heights Leisure Centre in Beitbridge. Hundreds of people, some of whom came from as far as Bulawayo and Harare, attended the special event. Harare-based dance group Girls La Musica added colour to the event. The venue was filled with long winding queues of cars along the road to Pagomo Heights, bulawayo24.com reports. Initially, 15 men were expected to battle it out, but six of them later backed out. The event, held for the third consecutive year, was organised in collaboration with the National Arts Council and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority. Beitbridge-based Kudakwashe Chiramba, 45, was crowned first runner-up, while Chitova Chezhira, 39, of Masvingo was the second runner-up. Mbewe also received a blanket and a cash prize of 1,200 Zimbabwean dollar. In an interview, Mbewe said: "I feel greatly honoured by this victory. I have been a subject of ridicule since childhood and the world has seen that there is a beautiful side to my ugliness. "I am very confident with my natural looks and confident about it. It was a tight contest but at the end of the day my hard work was rewarded." Show organiser Lovemore Chonzi of Aerowise Entertainment, said the pageant was growing bigger every year. "We had lots of prizes and the attendance was very good. We are looking forward to building on the success of this year`s edition," he said. IANS