Sarah Mpofu
Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
THE pageantry industry in Zimbabwe cannot be complete without the mention of Sarah Mpofu-Sibanda as she has seen it all after being in the game for the past 32 years.
Mpofu-Sibanda graduated as a model in 1986 from Face Enterprises Modelling Agency and since then, has been heavily involved in the beauty and modelling industry.
After graduating, she established Fingers Modelling Agency in 1989 together with her late husband Peter Mpofu who was also a model. Together, with black people in mind, they went out on a quest to groom models to show that black people could also make a living off the beauty industry – which then – was a preserve for the whites.
“This is a journey I started in 1986 when I graduated from Face Time Modelling agency under Mrs Kruger. We were a few black models and it was mostly filled with whites, Indians and the coloured people. Not many black people believed in modelling.
“Modelling was seen as an activity for the less learned or for people who had nothing to do with their time. Even for males, those who did modelling were said to be sissies by society,” reflected Mpofu-Sibanda.
“We decided to set up Fingers Modelling Academy with my late husband because we had seen a niche market that wasn’t being serviced. We wanted to introduce modelling to the black community in the city and Zimbabwe at large.
“Contrary to what people were made to believe, we wanted to show them that black people could actually live off the beauty industry, be it fashion designing, hairdressing, make up or modelling.”
It was not an easy road for Mpofu-Sibanda as she only registered her first success in 1997 when she hosted the first ever Miss Bulawayo.
“My first success story is Marylyn Mkondo who was crowned Miss Bulawayo in 1997. This was the first Miss Bulawayo and pageant that I organised.
Marylyn like many of my graduates went on to conquer the world as she other than modelling, ventured into acting and news presenting when she relocated to South Africa,” said a proud Mpofu-Sibanda.
Saddening, Mpofu-Sibanda lost most of her models to South Africa or United Kingdom as they went there to search for greener pastures.
“Most of the models who graduated moved because in our country they weren’t getting recognised. They realised that if they travel outside the country, they’d get recognised and also secure modelling jobs as the modelling industry was more developed in those countries.”
But, never one to give up and always thinking ahead of time, Mpofu-Sibanda discovered another way in which women’s beauty could be appreciated in 1999. It was at this stage that she initiated the Miss Big is Beautiful pageant.
“I was the first person to organise a beauty pageant for the fully figured. I was approached by many women who asked why I was shunning fully figured women and only grooming slim and tall women. This took me aback and then decided to hold Miss Big is Beautiful to celebrate our fully figured women.
“Although it faced monetary challenges, there were spin offs from other people who took up the pageant in their own unique way.”
As things in the industry were coming together, tragedy struck in 2005 for Mpofu-Sibanda as her husband died and left a void in her life. However, this was filled by her younger brother Talent who took up the mantle of being her support.
“When my husband died in 2005, my younger brother Talent took up the mantle of support that Peter had provided. Fortunately, Talent was a graduate of the Fingers Academy so he was well versed with the modelling industry so he fitted in well.
“He was my left, right hand man as he greatly assisted me in running the academy, hosting pageants and grooming models,” she said.
With the help of Talent, Mpofu-Sibanda became a household name in Zimbabwe as she moulded the careers of successful models including former Miss Bulawayo and MTZ chairperson Sibusisiwe Dube, former Miss Tourism Zimbabwe’s Caroline Marufu and Samantha Tshuma, reigning Miss Tourism Zimbabwe Ashley Morgen as well as Lungile Mathe.
So good was Mpofu-Sibanda at her work that organisations like the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority contracted her to assist them with the hosting of Miss Tourism Zimbabwe for many years.
But, as someone who has been dealing with beauty queens, she has encountered what she terms “vultures” – men who prey on the models.
“Men will always be men and we appreciate them for who they are. This is why grooming is very important for models to know who you are as a person first and who to keep close to you or who to keep at an arm’s length.
“We’ve had people who want to take advantage of the models. But such people exist in other industries. It’s now up to an individual to know where to stop the vultures,” said Mpofu-Sibanda.
Her advice to any model that has passed through her hands over the years is to never be desperate for fame.
“My advice to any model is to be independent. The dependency syndrome leads people to become vulnerable to these vultures. I tell them to be independent financially because if you don’t need anything from that person then you won’t be caught up with them.”
On her new found role as Miss Tourism Zimbabwe national licence holder, Mpofu-Sibanda feels she is up for the task. She gives credit to her husband Nkosilathi Sibanda who encouraged her to apply for the licence when the call was made out.
“My husband was very pivotal in me applying for the national licence. I doubted myself firstly in landing the position and secondly in me running it. He was the one who said I can do and I should apply. I did and here we are.”
Very optimistic are words that can describe Mpofu-Sibanda as she is gunning to groom a model that can compete at the highest level at the Miss Tourism Wold pageant at the end of this year.
Today, Mpofu-Sibanda will be honoured at the Miss Tourism Zimbabwe Bulawayo beauty pageant for her contribution to the country’s modelling industry.