NOT only is she a stunner, but this local woman, an optometrist by profession and an accomplished classical Indian dancer, has been selected as a finalist in the Mrs South Africa Pageant.
For Reevana Govender (29) from Port Shepstone, being a wife and a mother is her favourite accomplishment. She is married to Chandresan and the couple has a two-year-old daughter, Mayil.
To be selected as a finalist, feels like a win in itself, says Reevana.
“Every single woman I met during the semi-finals was worthy, beautiful and inspiring. To be able to have connected with these like-minded women and be motivated to be the best version of myself was wonderful, and to be able to continue on this journey as a finalist is an absolute privilege,” she said.
Mrs South Africa is first and foremost a women empowerment programme. It offers South African women who have real life careers, families and hobbies a platform to make a difference. This year marked an exciting change in the branding of Mrs South Africa, embracing the spirit of Ubuntu and showcasing the real and relatable women for South Africa.
Over the next five months as a finalist she will embark on a journey of fund-raising for Cansa (the official charity for Mrs South Africa), networking, self-development and highlighting issues that are close to her heart.
“I entered Mrs South Africa because I love the ideals of what it stands for. The journey is of self-development, being empowered while empowering others and being a women for women, while still being a change-maker in your community. As a wife and a mother, I felt that I had a message for South African girls and women. And it is that we should always strive for more, we are powerful beyond our means and we can do anything that we put our minds to.
“We need to support and lift each other up. We live in a world where women are still fighting a daily struggle for equality and, as mothers, we have a huge social responsibility to this. We have it in our ability to change the perception and break the stereotypes, raising our girls to be strong and raising our boys to be respectful and supportive of strong women,” she said.
As an optometrist, she raises awareness around preventable blindness and eye care for children and is currently the brand ambassador for Bona Bolo Vision for Learning, a non-profit organisation focused on taking eye care facilities and spectacles to school-going children in the outlying areas of South Africa.
“Vision plays a critical role in the way a child perceives and learns about the world. Without being able to see, these children aren’t able to learn. The spectacles and vision therapy enable them to reach their full academic potential. My hope is that the Mrs South Africa platform will help me to bring the much-needed awareness to the cause,” she said.
Reevana thanked her home town community for the amazing support she received as a semi-finalist. She believes that one should always remember one’s roots.
Voting lines have opened again. To vote, SMS Reevana Govender to 35959. The final takes place in October.
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ORIGINAL STORY – March 25
A PORT Shepstone wife and mother has put the South Coast on the map by being selected as a semi-finalist in the Mrs South Africa pageant.
Reevana Govender (28) said she feels very honoured and proud to have been selected, as this year’s pageant had received a record number of entries.
“This means being selected as a semi-finalist feels like an achievement in itself,” said Reevana.
The pageant is open to all married South African women and the essence of Mrs South Africa is being a woman who can do it all -be a wife, a mother, a career woman as well as being active in her community.
The semi-final judging takes place on April 27 and the pageant is set for October.
Reevana, who has had a passion for fashion since her childhood years, was crowned second princess and Mrs Photogenic in the Mrs India Worldwide 2016 pageant.
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Born in Port Shepstone, Reevana matriculated from Port Shepstone Secondary. She is the current Empress India South Africa title holder.
Reevana is an optometrist and is employed by Hoya South Africa in Johannesburg.
“I have always – and to this day still do – scream ‘NPS’ whenever I see a car with a Port Shepstone number plate,” she said.
She calls on all South Coasters to vote for her by liking the Mrs South Africa page on Facebook and clicking like on her photo on the page.
You can also vote by smsing ‘Reevana Govender’ to 35959 (R3/sms – free smses don’t apply).
Reevana thanked her parents Ram and Remilla Jagersar, her husband Chandresan and daughter Mayil (2) for their support.
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