On October 21, Palesa Phiri, a Modderfontein resident made it to the top five of the 2017 Mrs Commonwealth South Africa beauty pageant.
Overwhelmed by the support she received from the community, Palesa – who is also a business woman and a mother – couldn’t hide the joy of finishing among the top five at the finale.
Also read: Greenstone’s Palesa a finalist in Mrs Commonwealth SA
“Looking back at the journey, I am proud of all I have achieved personally and for the community. I must admit it was generally tough to secure sponsorship as required by the Mrs Commonwealth pageants SA but I managed to stay in the competition to the grand finale. The finale was absolutely spectacular and such an experience,” said Palesa.
Also read: Local beauty ready for Mrs Commonwealth grand finale
She said the journey was an eye-opener for her to re-visit her strengths and qualities and figure out how best she can use them to benefit people in the community and more specifically the youth.
“I believe in our youth. They have a great future ahead of them hence I have made myself available to coach, empower and mentor them through the Edenvale SAPS Youth Desk. Being an ambassador of change means I need to work hard to get other businesswomen to be accountable for the lives of people within their communities. They need to serve and lead with the goal of taking SA to greater heights. I would like to see communities who thrive on building one another up in order to succeed,” said Palesa.
She said her best moments throughout the experience were when she was working with the homeless on the streets of Edenvale as part of a charity drive by the Greenstone Running Club.
“Given the opportunity to re-live the journey I would take everything in, reflect and share these moments with my loved ones and those who look up to me.
“These are small acts that have an impact on how mothers and leaders should live so that we can mirror the kind of people we would like our future leaders to become,” she said.
Palesa urged women to stay focused on their goals, aspirations and what they wish to achieve.
“Mrs Commonwealth SA is all about bringing wealth to the community and the main charity partner is Pink Drive which provides a free women’s health service to the medically uninsured in SA. and advocate change in the cancer space.
“I will continue to apply the principles of giving skills through one of my companies as we specialise in training and development in occupational health and safety training to non- profit organisations operating in Alexandra and Tembisa.
“It’s a skill that helps with unforeseen incidents and how to act while waiting for professional medical care. I am immensely pleased with being in the top five and the special awards that I received in the pageant’s finale. All the finalists were outstanding. It was an honour and a privilege to wear the sash for Mrs Commonwealth SA 2017,” said Palesa.
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