Zim Gossip Models Agency founder Mercy “Catwalk” Mushaninga has been detained for fraud by the police.
The holder of Little Mister and Miss Universe licence who was supposed to have taken the winners of the national pageant to represent Zimbabwe in Dubai from 25 October, duped the five children and their parents who were supposed to accompany them of about USD 2 120.
The money was for covering Dubai visas and all travel expenses.
“We all had packed our bags ready to travel yesterday on Monday 24 October only to be told by Mercy that the visas were not ready yet,” said one angry parent who chose anonymity.
“Today 25 October we gathered at 23 Lezard Avenue Milton Park at her offices, she kept saying that she did not manage to get the visas.”
The parents then got one hour emergency visas and started demanding for the air ticket money that they had given her in advance.
“She told us that she did not have the money and that she would only reimburse us on Wednesday 26 October.”
The angry parents handed her over to the police at Harare Central Police Station where she was thrown into the police cells.
Now they await the law to decide her fate.
Unfortunately the Little Mister and Miss Universe pageant that seeks to discover, nurture and support modelling talent from young ages of four to 19 years was tainted by such an act by Mercy.
Mercy has been in the modelling industry for over two decades and holds a record of grooming models who make it to the top in different pageants.
This time around she has broken their trust.
The Dubai pageant starts on October 25 to 30 in Dubai which means that the little Zimbabwean contestants will not make it on time now.
Their dreams have been shuttered by one woman who was not truthful and could not explain what she did with their money.