By 3 News online staff
Organisers of a Wellington beauty pageant are being accused of less-than model behaviour, after telling a would-be competitor she wasn’t “pretty enough” to enter.
Dinah Nel, 19, who has no previous modelling experience, approached organisers of Miss Africa Wellington on Facebook last week asking details about the competition.
She was shocked by the response, a private message which simply read: “Not pretty enough, sorry.”
The South African-born teen says the response left her feeling confused and upset.
“I don’t know who gives them the right to judge people just from looking at my one picture,” she says.
“I have major pride in being South African and I didn’t even get the opportunity to try and that sucks.”
Dinah says she could have won the pageant and should be given the opportunity to enter.
“I’ll stand up and tell them that they said I wasn’t pretty enough because I want answers,” she says. “I just want to get to the bottom of it because I think I stand a massive chance to win.”
Pageant spokesman Rodney Mugadza denies the comment was ever made – despite Dinah providing a screen grab of the online conversation.
“I find that extremely hard to conceive because I’m aware that no one in my organisation would write that – we’re sensitive about what the word ‘African’ means,” he says.
Mr Mugadza refused to tell 3 News who had access to the Miss Africa Wellington Facebook account but suggests the comment is a fake.
“It’s Facebook – people do all sorts of things on the internet, some people hack into other people’s accounts quite easily.”
But Dinah suspects there could be racial motives behind her refusal, due to her fair complexion.
“It looks like it’s all just black people and I don’t understand why.”
But Mr Mugadza insists there are no restrictions around the competition, except African heritage.
“There are no race restrictions, there are no height restrictions, there are no weight restrictions - you only have to be of African descent.”
Dinah plans to attend the competition tomorrow night – as a spectator – and approach the organisers directly about the incident.
3 News