Mom of three eyes Mrs Soweto crown

Nokulunga Nyoka is breaking boundaries by making her debut in the pageant world at 38-years-old.

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She says she is eyeing the Mrs Soweto crown and wants to pour into the cup of women, who like her, are discovering their purpose.

Nyoka, who is no stranger to the camera and lights, being an ambassador for one of the leading beverage companies, described her journey into the competition as an unreal dream, as this was one of her aspirations as a young girl growing up in Soweto.

“The pageant world has for a long time been branded as something for beauty queens or about having a beautiful body, however when I attended the launch of Mrs Soweto, they spoke about women positivity and being empowered.

“I entered the pageant hoping it would help me find my purpose and now on this journey I’m learning that it’s not just my cup that will be filled but I will also pour and share into the cups of other women.”

Nyoka is one of the 21 finalists chosen from hundreds of entries who will walk the glittering grand finale stage for the crown in August at Soweto Theater.

The annual pageant follows the format of the Mrs SA pageant open to married women who reside in Soweto.

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She said the pageant is changing how married women have always been perceived to what they can do and hoped to use her voice add and further push the agenda of women.

“Taking part in the pageant has been a reminder that as a woman that I too belong, that I am beautiful, I’m alive and I can still do something fun, that can change people’s lives, because this in itself is boosting my own confidence and voice,” she said, talking about her journey.

Outside of the pageant, one of her biggest roles she gets to play is being a mother of three kids, and a wife of 11 years to her husband, who she says is her biggest supporter.

She believes in the power of women and hopes that as she sets her eyes on the crown, she wants women to be inspired to take up space, and show up strong.

“We women always look at the clock, the clock always ticks for us. Once you hit your mid 20s, you are rushing to have a relationship, career, etc. Life seems to always remind us that we are not getting any younger.

“I want women to know that even if you are growing older, you can still live life to the fullest and it can still be the beginning of everything.”

She is passionate about using her voice to advocate for education as one of her passion areas and working with young people and her dream is to change the reality of the education system in the country.

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“We need to start empowering the youth with skills to empower and sustain themselves.

“We cannot only advocate for them to pursue mainstream careers, we have a high unemployment rate, majority of whom are awaiting to be employed, but I believe it’s time they are empowered with relevant skills needed for the economy, for jobs and that begins with the education system in the country.”