Zamanje Mongalo using pageantry to tell her story and help others find healing

After finding healing from past sexual abuse, Zamanje Mongalo has used pageantry as a way of speaking out against Gender-Based Violence.

Mongalo was a second runner-up at the Mrs Independent International Pageant held in Manila, Philippines, in February.

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Telling her story to help others

The reigning Mrs Independent South Africa said she never had an interest in pageantry, despite people urging her on.

“I was like, ‘no, I don’t think I’m that girl who does pageants’,” she said to The Citizen, laughing.

“But I realised this is what I needed because it wasn’t just about walking in there and being just a beautiful girl, there was so much more that you needed to do.”

Mongalo experienced sexual violence twice in her life, first in KwaZulu-Natal around the age of six, when an adult family friend who was supposed to look after her molested her.

“My mom was working somewhere else; I didn’t have anyone to talk to. It’s something that I had to walk with it and hope it’s gonna disappear,” she said.

“And it happened again when I was in tertiary,” she said of her second experience of rape.

This was around 1996 when she was studying in Pretoria when a guy, whom she thought was a cab driver, abducted her and took her to Tembisa.

She managed to escape from the rapist while he slept in the wee hours of that morning.

She says the sexual violation happened in a period when people did not openly talk about rape, and she wasn’t encouraged to speak about her pain. Furthermore, she says the transparency in today’s environment around rape is helpful for victims and the perpetrators.

“It was something you were told not to talk about; it’s taboo. But the stigma is being pulled off, people are now engaging in this conversation which is helping us move into the right direction” Mongalo said.

“…because people are able to reflect, even the perpetrators, because I don’t think it’s only just a problem for the victim. Even the perpetrators also got some issues [as to] why they are doing this. No one grows up wanting to molest; there is something they’re also dealing with.”

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Representing South Africa

She said she felt a bit under pressure to represent the country on the world stage.

“There is so much pressure because you don’t want to represent people wrongly. Remember, when you answer questions, you’re a reflection of your country. How you carry yourself among other ladies is important,” said the model.

In one of the questions, Mongalo was asked what makes her proud about where she comes from, and for her, it was simple.

“My answer was that it’s that spirit of Ubuntu. I spoke about how people in my journey [to Mrs. Independent International Pageant] have helped me with clothes and making sure I’m ready,” she said.

Mongalo says there’s a lot of coaching one needs to get and that one has to figure out why they want to be on an influential platform such as a pageant.

“I think it was a very good move for me because it helped me to unleash that ‘why’ and take out my story.”

“I always say that even if my story helps one person, it’s enough. It helped somebody. That somebody could be something big tomorrow,” she said.

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