It's 'Mr Ugly's' turn to smile all the way to the bank

A Zimbabwean man who has endured being tormented by his bad looks, is now all joy.

Mr Austin Mbewe,30, was crowned “Mr Ugly” after winning an unusual beauty pageant at the weekend.

Mbewe walked away with $170 in prize money and a blanket when he was adjudged to be the ugliest by a panel of female judges.

“I feel honoured by this victory,” Mbewe told Zimbabwe's Herald newspaper.

“I have been a subject of ridicule from society since childhood and the world has seen that there is beautiful side to my ugliness.”

Two Mr Ugly personalities were given $50 each and a blanket. All the finalists were also given blankets as consolation.

The contest was held in Beitbridge, a town near the border with South Africa.

Lovemore Chonzi, the organiser of the competition, said it was “meant for people to have fun and celebrate who they are, just like any other contest in the world.”

The pageant had the blessings of the government controlled national arts council and the Zimbabwe tourism authority.