Queensburgh’s Kami Pillay throws her hard hat into the Mrs SA ring
Queensburgh's STEM mom is one of 25 finalists vying to be crowned the next Mrs South Africa in February 2021.
KAMENTHA Pillay is an engineer, mother and strong advocate for women in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) fields.
Beauty pageants are not something one would normally associate with a woman like Pillay. However Kami, as she is known by those who proudly call her a friend, is not known to shy away from a challenge.
“This is quite different for me,” she admitted. “I have learned to take a less direct approach with my messaging in order to get through to those who most need to hear it.”
Mrs South Africa
While Mrs South Africa (Pty) Ltd, on its website describes itself as a female empowerment programme for married women, rather than a pageant, the stigma of ‘beauty competitions’ continues to persist in the minds of many.
Just as she took on a male employee at the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE), in 2018, after he penned a column in his professional capacity, widely condemned as sexist and misogynistic, she is ready to run headlong into the assumptions society makes about women who participate in competitions like Mrs South Africa.
Future plans
Queensburgh News met Kami at a local coffee shop in Queensburgh to discuss how she hopes participating in Mrs South Africa will advance her mission to pave the way for women and youngsters.
Like Shudufhadzo Musida, who was crowned Miss South Africa 2020 last month, is an advocate for mental health awareness and empowering especially children and women, Kami is hoping to make use of her time participating in Mrs South Africa, to highlight causes she holds dear.
”I would utilise the platform to bring more attention to mothers working in STEM careers. This is what I have advocated for strongly over the last few years and is a cause which I feel needs more attention. Apart from empowering women into the STEM fields, I would also want to inspire those who are there and to possibly bring more attention to the challenges we experience within this crucial career sphere,” she said in the statement accompanying her photo when the 25 finalists were announced last week.
“I want to break the stereotype that beauty queens and engineers have to look a certain way in order to be taken seriously,” she added.
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Lessons learned
According to Kami, one of the main lessons she learned from the 2018 incident was the importance of opening up the discussion about better representation in STEM to a larger audience.
“If I am able to inspire other women to embrace their different roles as women, they will be able to be more courageous to speak out about the injustices they see around them or venture into fields they may not have previously considered,” she added.
Look out for more about Kami in the next issue of the Queensburgh News which comes out on 8 December and will be shared in our e-paper section on Friday, 11 December.
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At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
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