Beauty pageant ends in chaos

THE University of Zululand (Unizulu) beauty pageant turned disastrous on Friday night as angry students without tickets forced their way into the King Bhekuzulu Hall.

They allegedly damaged property and had spectators and contestants diving for cover.

‘I just heard a window break and I ran for cover. Students were forcing their way into the VIP section and onto the stage when the celebrity music groups started to perform.’ said one female student.

Due to the disruption, the question-answer section of the pageant was cancelled, leaving some student’s upset with the results.

Unizulu Communications and Marketing director Normah Zondo said no students were injured during the turmoil, adding that in future strict control measures will be implemented to monitor access control at such functions.

‘Entrance wrist bands were issued in advance, but this opened up a gap for potential fraudulent activity resulting in suspected duplication of bands. For future events, accreditation will be done at the venue entrance to avoid unruly behaviour and safeguard students, visitors and the university property,’ said Zondo.

She added that the extent of damage caused to the venue during the incident is currently under investigation