Edenvale’s SunBabe has big dreams

Malessa Mahlangu, a local model, could not believe it when she was crowned SunBabe of the Month earlier this year.

Malessa, an administrator at the Sebenza SAPS, is hopeful that she will take the crown later this year as the SunBabe of the Year.

The SunBabe competition is hosted by Sunday World.

It gives up-and-coming models an opportunity to enter the competitive modelling industry.

Malessa was crowned SunBabe of the Month in February this year and, as the year comes to a close, she is up against stiff competition from other finalists from across South Africa. Malessa hails from Mpumalanga but now lives in Edenvale.

She went to Edenglen High School before pursuing her marketing studies.

“I started modelling at a young age but getting jobs was not easy so I gave up for a while. I was encouraged to join a modelling agency and to enter the SunBabe competition. I decided to give it a try again and I am happy I did that. I have also done a stint in acting and I loved it but modelling is what I’m pushing at the moment,” said Malessa.

She hopes that winning the competition will give her the opportunity to realise her dream of becoming a professional model.

“I want to inspire young girls to believe in themselves. It has been a challenging journey but I am happy I decided to take the leap and do it,” she said.

Recently she was one of guest presenters at the Mpumalanga Sunshine Media Awards.

These awards are aimed at honouring and recognising media talent across the spectrum.

The awards are designed to honour everyone from radio, newspapers, music and so on, for their excellence in the media industry.

“Being part of the awards was special for me because it gave me the confidence I needed. I also want to be a presenter one day and work my way up the industry. I want to inspire those who want to start their modelling journey and tell them that its not going to be easy but you have to keep pushing,” said Malessa.

Voting for the SunBabe of the year will take place soon. Look out for Malessa in the Sunday World and vote for her.