THE battle to find the most hideous man in Zimbabwe turned ugly on Friday night when Maison Sere was crowned Mr Ugly in Harare, with three-time winner William Masvinu accusing judges of bias. Sere, 42, who has no front teeth and was dressed in torn overalls, beat five other contestants, including the then champion Masvinu for the $500 Mr Ugly prize. Givemore Sambana came third and walked away with $50.
According to media reports Masvinu and his supporters mobbed the judges upon hearing their decision, claiming that Sere was “too handsome” to win and his ugliness was not natural since it was merely based on missing teeth.
Masvinu who came second and walked away with $100 on the night, however argued that he should have retained the crown as no man is uglier than him in the country.
“There’s no one who can beat me in this game of ugliness. The person who won really isn’t ugly. How can someone who lost his teeth whilst being beaten up in a bar be called Mr Ugly. I want a re-run because in terms of ugliness no one can compare with me in Zimbabwe,” said Masvinu.
He alleges that his $500 prize money was taken away from him after he left the stage a winner.
“I also feel cheated because the judges announced me as the winner and later on they said they had changed their minds and gave me the second prize. These people aren’t serious with their jobs,” Masvinu protested.
However, the pageant organiser David “Apama” Machowa said Masvinu’s allegations were a case of sour grapes. “There’s nothing like that. Everything that was done on the day was executed with the utmost professionalism. He’s just angry that he has been dethroned and nothing else,” said Machowa.
He said there was no chance that Mr Ugly Zimbabwe would hold a re-run of the competition as Masvinu’s accusations were baseless. According to AFP the winner Sere said he was pleased that he persevered and won as he had entered the competition numerous times but failed. “I want to thank God for winning this title. Last time I came fourth. I just want to thank the judges for recognising me as the winner,” said Sere.
Meanwhile, Machowa said they were planning on holding a Mr Ugly World next year. “We want to take the pageant to the world and we’re already in talks with the people in different countries. The pageant has generated a lot of interest in the world,” he said.
Mr Ugly was inaugurated in 2010 in Beitbridge where, Elmas Moses, popularly known as VaChiganda, won the competition walking away R1, 500 richer.
According to media reports Masvinu and his supporters mobbed the judges upon hearing their decision, claiming that Sere was “too handsome” to win and his ugliness was not natural since it was merely based on missing teeth.
Masvinu who came second and walked away with $100 on the night, however argued that he should have retained the crown as no man is uglier than him in the country.
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| Nasty Fight At Mr Ugly…3-Time Winner Loses Hideousness Crown, Cries Foul. |
He alleges that his $500 prize money was taken away from him after he left the stage a winner.
“I also feel cheated because the judges announced me as the winner and later on they said they had changed their minds and gave me the second prize. These people aren’t serious with their jobs,” Masvinu protested.
However, the pageant organiser David “Apama” Machowa said Masvinu’s allegations were a case of sour grapes. “There’s nothing like that. Everything that was done on the day was executed with the utmost professionalism. He’s just angry that he has been dethroned and nothing else,” said Machowa.
He said there was no chance that Mr Ugly Zimbabwe would hold a re-run of the competition as Masvinu’s accusations were baseless. According to AFP the winner Sere said he was pleased that he persevered and won as he had entered the competition numerous times but failed. “I want to thank God for winning this title. Last time I came fourth. I just want to thank the judges for recognising me as the winner,” said Sere.
Meanwhile, Machowa said they were planning on holding a Mr Ugly World next year. “We want to take the pageant to the world and we’re already in talks with the people in different countries. The pageant has generated a lot of interest in the world,” he said.
Mr Ugly was inaugurated in 2010 in Beitbridge where, Elmas Moses, popularly known as VaChiganda, won the competition walking away R1, 500 richer.
