International supermodel Oluchi Onweagba says she has been snubbed by
some top South African magazines  because they won’t put blacks on
their covers, write Poppie Mphuthing and Sashni Pather in The Times.
The Nigerian-born beauty, who won the first Face of Africa competition in 1997, claims that local editions of Glamour and GQ magazine  which belong to the Condé Nast Independent Magazines stable  refused to have her on their covers because she is black.
Oluchi said: “As a Nigerian and an African I have done so much in my career to represent everything African in Western countries. There is a diverse group of people in South Africa, be it black, white, Asian.
‘‘What baffles me is them saying they can’t put a black person on the cover of the South African edition.â€ÂÂ
She said GQ had scheduled an editorial shoot with her in Cape Town but cancelled at the last minute.
A GQ South Africa insider revealed that the magazine has never had a black model on its cover.
GQ editor Craig Tyson said: “I am not responsible for bookings, my creative director is, so I will have to consult him before making a comment.â€ÂÂ
Oluchi admitted that though she could not make the date for a Glamour shoot, this was used as an excuse to exclude her, even though she was willing to reschedule.
Pnina Fenster, editor of Glamour magazine, said: “We were desperate to shoot her, but it was most unfortunate that she was not available on certain dates.
‘‘We would be crazy to turn her down, but she was otherwise engaged.â€ÂÂ
Click here to read the full report, posted on The Times website.
