Queensburgh Girls’ High past pupil starts her own pageant
Queensburgh Girls High old girl, Tumelo Mbele (19), who plays netball competitively is keen to help other girls find their inner confidence the way she has.
A PAST learner of Queensburgh Girls High School, who is herself a beauty pageant winner founded a new type of pageant to help others find their voice and inner beauty.
Tumelo Mbele, is a 19-year-old with a plan. In the same year she wrote matric in 2019, she began modelling and now she wants to help others find their confidence.
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She and Londeka Mbanda, who was Miss Pinetown 1st Princess 2020, founded Miss Exceptional, a competition for teens.
“We wanted to help those who have low self-esteem and who do not trust themselves,” said Mbele. “It was held on 16 December, and proved to be a huge success so I think we will be doing it again this year,” she said.
Plans
Mbele was fortunate the pandemic, which forced so many others to delay the beginning of their post high school plans, did not affect her too badly.
“I play netball, and would love to eventually manage a team. That is one of the reasons why studying sports management was my first choice when I finished school,” she said.
“My plan was to study sports management and fitness and carry on with modelling. However nothing of mine was put on hold except that the Miss Teen Tourism Globe SA finals, which were due to take place in March, were moved to the beginning of December,” said Mbele whose eyes light up when she speaks about the finals held in Durban City Hall on Saturday, 5 December.
“We had to make it a lot smaller, and there needed to be many new protocols in place which were not part of the event in the past, but it was still amazing and I feel so honoured to have taken part in it,” she said.
At that final, Mbele was awarded her sash and tiara which accompany the title of Miss Teen Tourism Globe SA Lesotho Culture which she said helped her get past her shyness which stopped her entering competitions in the past. Someone who considers her-self plus sized, Mbele said celebrity plus sized model Ashley Graham, has had a huge impact on her.
With an eye on eventually making it big in the entertainment industry, or managing a netball team, Mbele is determined to learn as much as she can from the experience she has in the world of beauty pageants.
Learned
“What I have learned from living through 2020 is that I should not limit myself because of self-doubt,” she said explaining that being too afraid to try something is a limitation which guarantees failure. “If you don’t try, you are sure to never succeed.”
Looking back Mbele said she did not realise how much hard work would be involved. When asked what tips she would give others keen to dip their toes into the pond of pageants, she said, “My advice to any young person thinking of entering pageants similar to this one is that you must be ready for a lot of hard work, you should know yourself as a person and do not try to imitate someone else.”
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“Just be yourself and remember it’s not about the crown but it’s about enjoying yourself and gaining a lot of knowledge about what’s happening in our communities and country.”
Mbele was also keen to be clear that without the support of her mother and national director of Miss Teen Tourism Globe SA, Mrs Ntombi Gumede she doesn’t think she would have succeeded last year. “I go to my mother when things aren’t going to plan, she’s the one person that knows what to say or what to do in order to help me,” she said.
“Mrs Gumede has also been like an extra mother to me through this journey,” she said.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
