Seabata Mahao
Econet Telecom Lesotho (ETL) in partnership with BNV will this year host a horse racing and designer event dubbed the 2023 Royal Cup.
Organised to celebrate King Letsie’s 60th birthday, the showpiece aims to showcase the country’s rich cultural heritage of horse-racing and fashion creativity.
King Letsie III turns 60 years old on July 17 this year.
ETL has invested M500 000 for the event to be held in Mohales Hoek on September 23 this year, due to its history with horse-racing.
The fashion competition component is aimed at enhancing the country’s youth fashion designing skills through the mentorship of Lesotho’s renowned fashion designer, Thabo Makhetha.
ETL’s General Manager of Marketing and Customer Experience ‘Mapusetso Ntšekhe, said they are celebrating being Basotho through celebrating King Letsie III’s 60th Diamond Jubilee.
Ntšekhe said ETL has pledged to empower youth talent across different sectors.
“We urge all Basotho to come together to celebrate our pride as we are now approaching 200 years of existence as a nation. Let us celebrate His Majesty’s birthday in style with all the pride we have,†Ntšekhe said.
“ETL is committed to sponsoring and supporting all the initiatives aimed at empowering Lesotho so this year we want to make sure that the youth understand their culture, celebrate their culture and commit themselves to teach their children and generations to come their culture.
“We believe it is paramount that we join forces as stakeholders, leveraging the cherished values and cultural beliefs of Basotho, in our collective efforts to contribute to the country’s development agenda,” stated NtÅ¡ekhe said.
On behalf of BNV, Motlatsi Rusell said the event is going to promote tourism in Mohale’s Hoek.
“The 2013 Royal Cup will be graced by His Majesty King Letsie III to celebrate with us. There will also be a fashion show while the horse race is on-going. We are going to show the world how we celebrate our culture.
“We have renowned Lesotho fashion designer, Thabo Makhetha who is going to mentor the 2023 Royal Cup fashion finalists. She is going to spearhead the competition as normally in other countries. The horse racing event goes along with fashion shows.â€
Individual fashion designers from around the country interested to participate in the fashion competition can register on the website of Thabo Makhetha.
Russel said five designers will be selected as finalists to participate in a comprehensive program that includes immersive workshops, visits to clothing manufacturers, social media challenges and a panel session with judges.
The program will culminate in a fashion showpiece at The Royal Cup, where a deserving winner will be crowned on the same day.
