Williams said that a number of contestants dropped out at the last minute and were replaced by stand-in models. After the event, Perdeby was approached by a student who stated that, “the contestants had to go through a good two months of fair trial” during which events such as public speaking took place with points being allocated for these events. “[Tonight], all those points are supposed to count. The man who won was only a stand in model,” the student said.
The judges left the event in a hurry and refused to comment. Judge Gerrit Pienaar, Black Tie fashion designer, only remarked that he was very angry.
Williams said that he forgot to include these points during judging and the winners were therefore chosen solely on their modelling and points awarded to them on the night.
The judges worked according to the numbers assigned to the contestants and not by their names. Esterhuizen was voted Mr Tuks First Year by the judges according to his number, even though his name was not on the list provided because he was a stand in for a contestant who had dropped out at the last minute.
The event started 30 minutes late and consisted of categories including, casual wear, swimwear, formal wear, and a short speech. The topics for the speeches were: “Why should people study at Tuks?”, “Describe student life” and “What would you do if you won Mr or Miss Tuks?”
TSC member for societies Khutso Mogogtsi told Perdeby that he did not feel first years were capable of answering the questions correctly because they were misinformed about some information. TSC President Jordan Griffiths said, “It was a good show. I’ve seen a lot of the talent our first years have to offer.”
The event turnout was poor. According to Williams, all the posters that advertised Mr and Miss Tuks First Year were taken down prior to the event. Griffiths said that this was because “Permission to use the [TSC] logo [on the posters] was not granted nor did the TSC officially endorse the event.”
Williams said that he received no help from Stuku or the university during the organisation of the event. According the Griffiths, the university is not involved in organising these events. “Societies register and receive funds from the university and then they are on their own. The university provides venues, in this case the Aula.”
The evening included performances by Quest Band, rapper Da L.E.S. and the 012 dance group.
Photos: Eddie Mafa and Lyticia Erasmus
The judges:
Marilyn Ramos, Miss South Africa, judging natural stage presence and personality.
Paul Rothman, Pasella presenter and Tuks alumnus, judging the contestants’ enjoyment and confidence.
Gerrit Pienaar, Black Tie fashion designer, judging beauty.
Zizo Beda, SABC 1 presenter and the face of Garnier, judging the contestants’ enjoyment and the reaction of the crowd.
Other titles:
1st prince – Tokyo Ndlela
1st princess – Tumi Matela
2nd prince – Brandon Brown
2nd princess – Lerato Reid
Mr Personality – Brandon Brown
Miss Personality – Michaela Juby
