Miss SA motivates women

The 24 year old Education Honors graduate, Ntandoyenkosi grew up in a township called Mkhondo, in Mpumalanga.

Her dad, Christopher (67) and mom, Baby (50) started off running a tuckshop which they still own today.

Ntandoyenkosi always knew that she was destined to breaking the boundaries of your average “township girl” and making a difference in her community and country at large.

“My parents have always been my pillars of strength and have taught me the basic principles of life” she said. Ntandoyenkosi started modelling at the age of four, and was crowned Miss Raindrop at a local festival and by the age of six she already knew that she would be Miss South Africa one day.

She has been applying for the Miss South Africa pageant since the age of 18, and was never chosen, she made the top 33 in 2014 but did not make it further, but that did not bring her down.

Determination is always key as a woman these days, without it boundaries can never be broken.

“Women should always put themselves first and make sure that they carry the legacy that was left behind by the women of 1956,” stated Ntandoyenkosi.

Woman’s Day symbolyses the unity among women of all different cultures and races where they stood up for one course, which is women empowerment. “Economically empowering women, gives them the confidence they need to tackle gender inequalities, and this can be achieved through allocation of responsibilities to them that are normally delegated to men,” she said.

When women are economically empowered, they are seen as equal members of society and this will result in confidence and more selfrespect.

“One of the leading barriers that barricades women’s empowerment lie in cultural norms, and many are accustomed to being treated inferior to men.”