LIMPOPO – The 22-year-old criminology and psychology student from Ga Kibi Dev-Rede Ga Mabelebele says she looks forward to making her community and province proud.
The winner of the Miss Heritage South Africa pageant will represent her country in India during the Miss Heritage International pageant. As part of her duties as a finalist she has to raise R7 000 to help children with blood cancer and as part of her initiative she is selling 15 tickets to attend the pageant in Bloemfontein. Tickets cost R150 for general access and R250 for VIP and are available from Computicket.
“I started modelling in high school and despite people’s negative views about the industry I decided to show them on their misconceptions and demonstrate modelling and beauty titles gives people a platform to help their communities. The first title I won was Miss December 2014, I was also a finalist in of Top Model South Africa in 2015 and I was crowned first princess in the Face of Bahananwa 2017 competition. Through making use of these titles I visited several charity homes after I collected tinned food and clothes through donation initiatives. Despite all the work being done, I feel our country still lacks when it comes to women empowerment which is why I encourage women to take a stand for what they believe in and support each other. In order to be successful we need the support of our families to help encourage our talent through art and culture,” she said.
Sewela added parents need to be open-minded about the modelling industry as there are too many misconceptions. “Parents can help children become influential individuals through motivating them to follow their dreams. This will in turn have a positive influence on the high unemployment rate as these children will play a vital part in creating employment opportunities and growing the economy. Not everyone is academically gifted and parents should understand this and support their children to build on their talents and skills.”
Your family background, she added, is something you shouldn’t allow to dampen your chances at success.
“I used my family background as a motivation to pursue my career and develop my talent. I plan to one day open my own modelling agency to help others develop their talent, offering a platform to groom young girls and boys through art and culture.”
She encouraged readers to vote for her at https://www.pagentsvote.net/pageants/384. Voting is open until 23 September.
