“I am so honoured and will be wearing this crown with pride and use it to the best of my ability.”
“It is a huge achievement for me and I will always treasure it,” said Shanika Bongela, the newly crowned Miss Commonwealth South Africa 2019.
Shanika, who is a Financial Adviser in Florida, was overcome with emotion when she was announced as the winner, and explained, “I competed in the same pageant in 2016, but only made it through to the Top 5. But, when I returned to the pageant two years later, I was much more confident and ready to take the title home.”
She has always been a humble person who would do anything to see other people happy, which was evident in her dedication to a variety of charity organsiations, including giving back to the community in Kliptown, Soweto, raising money for the Zingce Foundation in Tshepisong, helping the unemployed youth in Tshepisong, reviving a library in Soweto and visiting various cancer homes.
Her journey to becoming Miss Commonwealth was a hard, but enjoyable one, and Shanika said, “The different people I interacted with, and the experience I had, helped me see how different and unique people are. The pageant also made a huge impact, not only on me and my fellow finalists, but also the community, as it has been responsible for various cancer and Aids awareness campaigns around the country.”
Shanika said that she was looking forward to the year with all the exciting activities ahead of her, “I want to be remembered for being an inspiration and a symbol of resilience. I want to remind people that they can conquer any obstacles that stand in their way, just like I have conquered mine.”
She concluded by thanking everyone who had supported her throughout her journey and said, “Many thanks to God Almighty who made everything possible, as well as to our director, Ms Ngawethu Ka-Sphiwe for being a supportive structure to all the finalists, because whether you won or not, many lives were changed.”
To share in Shanika’s exciting journey, follow her on social media: Facebook (Miss Commonwealth South Africa 2019 Shanika Bongela), Instagram (misscwsa_2019_shanika) and Twitter (@MissBongela).
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