Sipho Mazibuko

Career

Modelling

She was crowned Miss Highlanders Football Club in 1991 and Miss Teen Queen and Miss Bulawayo in 1992.^[1]

Modelling Instructor

Mazibuko hosted Miss Winter, Summer Strides and Miss Rural modelling contests. Through her Strides Modelling Agency, Sipho Mazibuko nurtured beauty queens like Samantha Tshuma and Lorraine Maphala-Phiri.^[1] In 2003 she hosted the Miss Rural Zimbabwe pageant. The pageant was discontinued following news that the contestants were being abused during boot camp as they dated older and wealthy men, and that Mazibuko was equally culpable and not of sound mind.^[2]

Businesses

She runs a wedding venue Lavinia Gardens.^[1] Mazibuko also has a salon Strides Hair Salon which she relaunched in September 2020.^[3]

Bipolar Experience

Mazibuko had a breakdown and tried to commit suicide. This was after she was accused of abusing Miss Rural models by the then Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) boss, Karikoga Kaseke.

Mazibuko told The Chronicle that she was also having personal problems which led to a divorce. She said:

"There was a time I attempted suicide. I won’t mention using what, but I did try; fortunately I failed. At the same time, I was having personal problems and these led to a divorce. When I was thinking and going through these problems, I felt like exploding and the divorce made it worse. I had problems with Miss Rural and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority headed by Karikoga Kaseke. He told me I didn’t pay a hotel bill and I was abusing the girls. So that pressure of people wanting to take Miss Rural away from me was unbearable. Also, there was a country which I won’t name that wanted to buy the rights to Miss Rural and use it in their own country to have like Miss Rural Africa and Miss Rural World. So that information fell on the wrong hands. They wanted to tarnish my image and take away that pageant from me. Luckily, it (Miss Rural) was registered as a trademark in my name. So during this time, there were so many stories about me that were coming out and it ate into my mind.”

When Mazibuko had a nervous breakdown and was diagnosed with bipolar, she was admitted to Ingutsheni Hospital.^[1]

Rape Allegations

On 15 January 2021, Mazibuko posted on Facebook that Jonathan Moyo raped her. She said although she made a police report at the time at Bulawayo Central Police Station, no action was taken except to have her admitted to hospital for psychiatric care.^[4]

She wrote:

Well, I have decided to empty my closet and speak out about a man who sexually abused me when I was pregnant and went on to silence me because he was very powerful and untouchable. I went to the police to open a docket against these evil men who had tormented my mind with sexual and emotional abuse.

The police recorded my statement, but nothing was done to investigate my case. Till today my docket died a natural death. After my police report I was admitted and the same men made sure my admission to hospital was turned into a media curse. I was made a fool.

My case didn’t even see the light of day. The police did nothing to those powerful men. They continued with their lives and I languished in a mental hospital. I had given them their names in my docket, but they had to be protected because they were in Government offices, they were ministers.

^[4]

References