An aspiring young model has been selected as a finalist for Miss Teen Universe SA, and she is ready to take on the big stage.
Buyisile Sikonde (19) said this is a big step for her, as it is one of the biggest teen pageants in the country in which the top five winners get the chance to represent SA on an international stage.
She went for her auditions at the Anew Hotel eMalahleni on April 30 and was selected as a semi-finalist.
“After that, we had tasks to do. They were mostly community work and campaigns for votes. When I was done, I was one of those who were selected as finalists. When they do the selection for finalists, they look at your work and votes.”
The main event for Miss Teen Universe SA will be held in Durban in March. Sikonde said she is not only a model, and that she has many talents. “I am a third-year ecotourism student, a first aider level 1-2, a GPS specialist and also a founder of the NGO, Future Leaders.”
Sikonde said she loves modelling because she gets to share her knowledge and skills with the world.
“I get to advocate for what I think is right. I want to be the voice for all the children who come from disadvantaged families like me. Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe 2019, said, ‘It is time to take up space.’ I want every child out there to see me and believe too.”
She said she started modelling in Grade 12 when she was 16. “My first pageant was Miss Matsulu High School 2019. I did not win, but I made it to the top five. After this, I entered many other events. Last year, I won the title of Miss Heritage Mpumalanga Ambassador 2021, and recently I was crowned Miss Ehlatsini Park Queen 2022.”
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Her dream of modelling started while watching a fashion channel on TV. “I used to spend time watching models showcasing fashion on the runway, and the more I watched that channel, the more I wanted to be like them. While watching, I fell in love with this one beautiful woman, Winnie Harlow, a model with vitiligo. She inspires me to the point that I stopped feeling insecure about some of my body features, and that is when I started being unapologetically me.”
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Sikonde said on this journey, she wants to urge Mpumalanga to support her.
“As I try to put our province on the map, I would appreciate sponsorship and votes.”
To vote for her, visit her Instagram page on buyisile_s and her Facebook page, Buyisile English.
