Zanele Ngwenya (32) is a young widow wanting to inspire other women to pick themselves up after the loss of a loved one.
Ngwenya was born and bred in Pienaar. She became the first title holder of Provincial Ms Mpumalanga 2020, a category representing divorced, widowed and single women above 26 years under the Mrs Mpumalanga Foundation. She was crowned almost two years after the tragic death of her husband, the late Hudson Mthethwa, who was killed in a car accident on January 1, 2018.
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In an exclusive interview with Lowvelder Express, Ngwenya said winning the pageant had helped her to help other women going through the same process. “I was almost on the verge of giving up, but this journey to becoming the first-ever Provincial Ms Mpumalanga brought new meaning to my life.” Ngwenya had since counselled a few of her colleagues who needed help during a loss. She is willing to help more women. “I am willing to use the platform to show and to encourage others that even after a loss, one can rise above the pain and once again embrace the gift of life. It has helped me gain a lot of self-confidence. The journey has ignited a whole new person who I never thought existed. I was always a quiet and reserved person. However, through this experience I managed to discover myself and realise the potential I had to assist others. Changing lives for the better in the communities that I’ve been to, has been the highlight of my reign,” she said.
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Ngwenya touched the lives of many kids from child-headed families and elders from various areas through her small acts of kindness. “Through the help of sponsors, friends, family and colleagues I managed to meet some of their essential needs and that has left a long-lasting impact on their lives,” she said. “The challenges I experienced where what some people had to say about a ‘widow’ being out there so soon after her loss. I remained focused, I chose not to let negative energy derail me from what I had planned to achieve at the end of the competition. I chose to do what made me happy and what felt right, I chose to live again!”
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She is currently working on launching her non-profit organisation, the Zanele Ngwenya Foundation, aimed at improving the lives of underprivileged children.
“We aim to assist them in accessing the services offered by various departments such as the Department of Social Development. We will also find sponsorships and donations to provide them with food, school uniforms, proper clothing and many other necessities,” she said. Ngwenya encouraged women to continue to rise against all odds. “Let us show the world that we are phenomenal, women of stature and women of substance. Let us all wear our crown with pride.”
