Chris Theko
24-year-old Tiisetso Seliane is the current Miss Lesotho who was crowned the Queen during the pageant’s 2021 edition held at ‘Manthabiseng Convention Centre last year. The beauty queen who is also an aspirant teacher, was raised in Leribe, Hlotse where she attended Leribe English Medium Primary School 2002- 2010, she did high school in Ficksburg at MJ Mohlahli Comm – Tech 2014 then transferred to Molapo High school (2015-2016) where she did her matric.
“My whole life revolved around home church and school. I was never out and about but I think it showed from as early as when I was five that there’s a bit of a model in me, this is when I realised my love for heels,†she said.
She has over a year as the reigning Miss Lesotho (ML) and Newsday Arts (NA) caught up with her in an exclusive interview on her journey, below are excerpts from the conversation.
NA: Did you always know that you would want to be a Miss Lesotho in the future because most young girls know at a very early age?
ML: Yes, I’ve always known that one day I’d enter the Miss Lesotho pageant. I’d read newspapers and listened to interviews of reigning beauty queens and that always inspired me. But, before the Miss Lesotho pageant I participated in two pageants in both of which I became 1st Runner up, the Miss Vintage 2017 and Miss NUL 2018/2019.
NA: It has been over a year now since your coronation, how has the journey been?
ML: It has been an amazing experience and a journey of growth… personally and professionally.
NA: How did being crowned Miss Lesotho change your life?
ML: The platform presented me with many opportunities to interact with people, children, adults, local communities and it always feels good to see how my presence inspires and makes other people happy. It has been really fulfilling.
NA: Any challenges you encountered? Any outstanding moments you encountered?
ML: Nothing in particular except the fact that I think at first, I was not prepared for the busy schedule my life would soon entail. Being a reigning beauty queen requires a lot of hard work and patience because most of my time is spend dealing with people, drafting proposals, and working on projects among others.
NA: You missed out on Miss World, how did you feel about that?
ML: The thought of missing out on Miss World was a bit sad in the beginning but as time went, I allowed myself to understand that it’s not the end of the road and that I still get to do a lot more here in my homeland.
NA: As the reigning Miss Lesotho there are projects (mainly charitable) to be accomplished, with Covid-19 still a thing, did you manage to do them?
ML: One of my successful initiatives was the Hlotse Clean-up campaign which was aimed at raising awareness on keeping the environment clean.
NA: How challenging is it to be a reigning Miss Lesotho and a student at the same time?
ML: Luckily I was crowned the same year of graduation so my school work was not affected in anyway. So I was able to focus on Miss Lesotho.
NA: What does the future look like for Tiisetso Seliane beyond Miss Lesotho, any projects in the pipeline.
ML: My plan is to continue working on my Environmental education project and expand it until it is something implemented in schools throughout the country
NA: Lastly, share one thing people do not know about you?
ML: One thing people don’t know about me is that I am loud and I talk a lot once I am comfortable.
