Emma Wareus’ New Lane at MUB

She didn’t return to pageantry to relive a crown, she came back to rewire the system. At Miss Universe Botswana (MUB) 2026, power shifted quietly from spectacle to structure At the official crowning of Miss Universe Botswana 2026, something quieter and arguably bigger happened. Emma Wareus,Miss World Africa 2010, stepped into a newly created role: Honorary President of Miss Universe Botswana.

No executive power. Just responsibility. “Titles are not the end of the story.

They are the beginning of a responsibility,” Wareus said at Protea Hotel, setting the tone for what this role is really about. Her appointment positions her as a moral compass — a bridge between organisers and contestants, and between intention and action. Wareus was deliberate in defining her space.

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“I am not here to replace the leadership, nor to overshadow it. I am here to serve as the guardian of the values, as the voice of experience,” she said. In an industry often rattled by controversy and online noise, her role introduces lived experience where it’s been missing most.

Her message to contestants landed softly but firmly: “You may always approach me… I am here to be your sister, your advocate, your confidant. The crown is not the destination. It is just the launch pad.” In other words, no queen should feel unsupported on a platform built to empower her.

This cultural reset aligns with structural changes already underway. Miss Universe Botswana Coordinator Safie Sekgwa confirmed that, starting in 2026, titleholders will reign before competing internationally, prioritising leadership, preparation and community impact. To enforce this, Dabilo Moses, newly crowned Miss Universe Botswana 2026, has been appointed to allow adequate training ahead of the global competition in Puerto Rico this November.

“Preparations for the next queen after Moses are ongoing, audition dates will be announced and the grand finale will be in December this year in Francistown,” Sekgwa Added. Wareus didn’t dodge the elephant in the digital room.“We cannot build confidence in public and dismantle it in the comment section,” she warned, calling cyberbullying what it is: cruelty dressed as critique. Kgalalelo Lesetedi, founder of Mrs Botswana and PR Officer for the Pageantry Council, reinforced the shift.

“This crown is not new territory for you… with it comes responsibility — to self, to the brand, and to the nation,” she told Moses. Her call was firm: resolve issues internally, protect legacies, and stop confusing correction with cruelty. She said the Pageantry Council’s role is not to police queens through headlines nor to manage issues through public opinion but to listen, guide, resolve, and to protect the integrity of the industry.

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