Miss World Africa Queen of Beauty and the youngest minister of Botswana’s cabinet

The enthusiasm of Lesego Chombo to life is as contagious as her achievements: she has won Miss Botswana 2022 and Miss World Africa 2024 Crowns, is a working lawyer, created her own charity – and made a story in November, becoming the smallest of the minister

At that time, she was only 26 years old – and apparently impressed the arriving president of Botswana Dumas Boko, whose umbrella for democratic change (UDC) had just won a landslide, throwing away the party, which ruled for 58 years.

It was a seismic change in the policy of a diamond-rich South African nation-and Boko, a 55-year-old lawyer trained by Harvard, hit the ground.

His main focus, he said, was to fix the economy that is too relying on diamonds, Telling the BBC before taking office that you want young people to be the decision – “To become entrepreneurs, hire themselves and hire others.”

The key to this was finding the right ambassador – and Chombo was obvious: a young woman who is already engaged in various causes.

He made her minister of youth and gender.

“I have never been a bigger one that I am young,” she told the BBC at the Ministry’s headquarters in the capital Gaborone.

“I am a young man living in Botswana, passionate about the development of youth, gender equality, but also so passionate about the development of children.”

The Queen of Beauty did not campaign for a MP – it is what is called a specially elected member of Parliament – and is now one of only six MPs in the 69 -member National Assembly.

Chombo said he became a deputy and then the minister came as a complete surprise for her.

“I was appointed by a president who had never met me,” she said.

“Miss World and the journey I thought I should pursue, since my final destination was just the platform through which I would be seen for this role.”

It was her crowning as Miss Botswana in 2022 that she raised her profile and allowed her to campaign for social change, while trying to inspire other young women.

He also gave her the opportunity to set up the Lesego Chombo Foundation, which focuses on the support of disadvantaged young people and their parents in rural areas – and with which she is still involved, his projects funded by corporate companies and others.

“We strive to have a world in which we feel seen and heard and represented. I am very excited that I accidentally am the essence of this representation,” she said.

As she was preparing for last year’s Miss World Pageant, she said, “I really put myself in the service area. I really pointed it for this big crown.”

Now in the political office, she is aware of the expectations set on it in a country where approximately 60% of the population is under 35 years.

It also has a high level of unemployment – 28%, which is even higher for young people and women who have limited economic capabilities and the battle of systemic corruption.

Chombo said this is something that she is determined to change: “At the moment, in a bottle, the unemployment rate is so high.

“But this is not only the percentage of unemployment, but also just the sphere of youth development.

“He lacks and therefore my desire is to create an ecosystem, environment, society, economy in which youth can thrive.”

Chombo said her plan is to develop a comprehensive system that supports initiatives guided by young people, has intensified entrepreneurship and ensures that young people have a place on the table when decisions are made.

With the Botswana corruption policy, which is undergoing a strict examination, she said it would ensure that quotas for young entrepreneurs – when state departments and agencies have reached offers for goods and services – have actually been reached.

The government has launched a 10-month forensic state-owned forensic audit, which will include 30 state-owned enterprises.

In fact, President Boko intends to break into corruption, seeing this as a way of increasing investors’ confidence and diversifying the economy – something that his deputy seeks to make in the last trips to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Switzerland.

And a key deal has already been provided with a CCI Global UAE based, a business processes outsourcing provider to open a center in Botswana.

While youth development is the central pillar of her work, gender equality also remains close to her heart.

Her short time in the office coincides with the increasing protest on gender -based violence.

According to a report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), over 67% of women in Botswana have experienced abuse more than double the average.

“It hurts to know that I may be after that,” she admitted.

A month after her appointment, she was criticized for a vote against an opposition proposal in parliament to set up a “peace bureaus” in police departments and magistrate courts to quickly deal with the victims.

By the time she said that such provisions already existed within the law and what is needed is more public awareness.

This was followed in January by a police report that noted that at least 100 women were raped and 10 more killed during the festive season – this caused public outrage with many who throw it into social media on the subject.

The minister repeated – several times, including before parliament in March – This bothanana had many laws and strategies, and what was important was to ensure that they are actually applied.

But she told the BBC that the government would insist on the implementation of a gender -based violence law aimed at closing legal doors, which have long hindered justice for survivors.

She said she also advocated for a more complete approach, including the ministries of health, education and local authorities.

“We want curricula that encourage gender equality from an early age,” Chombo said.

“We want to teach children what is gender -based violence and how to prevent it.

“This will be reduced to the inclusion of teaching gender equality at home, how parents behave around their children, how they model good behavior.”

It has also vowed to the need to deal with the problems affecting men, especially about mental health and positive masculinity, encouraging the superiors “to ensure that our patriarchal culture does not actively continue gender violence.”

“I hear a lot of people say,” Why are you talking about women more than men? “

“This is because, as it stands in society, women are mostly prejudiced (against).

“But when we talk about gender equality, we say that it should be applied equally to all. But what we strive for is gender justice.”

Chombo, who studies law at the University of Botswana, said she was grateful to her mother and other strong women for inspiring her – saying that women should work “10 times more difficult” to succeed.

“(My mother) managed to create an environment for flourishing. And I grow up, I realized that this was not easy.

“As women, we are confronted with so much pressure:” A woman can’t do this. The woman can’t do that. The woman cannot be young in leadership. “I am currently facing it.”

She also credit Julia Morley, CEO of Miss World, that she helped her: “She was able to create a legacy of what we call beauty for so many young girls around the world.

“She has just inspired us to take social responsibility so deeply.”

Chombo is serious about this. The beauty Queen-Advocate-Kuma-Minister knows that she has made a story-but she is also aware that her real work has just begun.

“Impact. A tangible impact. Here’s what success would look like,” she said.

“I want to look back and see that he is there and is sustainable. That when I leave, someone else is able to carry it.”

Additional reporting from Innocent Selatlhwa in Gaboron