Bramfisherville beauty queen takes on the Mrs Soweto pageant

Mrs Soweto 2023 finalist, Pertunia Malingisa will make her return to the glamourous pageant stage next month as she gears up to adding another title to her list of accolades.

The 32-year-old from Meadowlands whose accolades amongst others include Mrs Africa Globe 2020, actress, and Hiv/Aids advocate said she was marking on making history by becoming the first Mrs Soweto title holder.

She lauded the pageant as a major boost in tackling challenges faced by women where Gender Based-Violence, gender inequality and barriers on women are concerned. She wants women to be inspired to being the best visions of themselves.

“The reason I entered is because their vision resonates with my vision. They are all about empowerment, and that is something I’m very passionate about.

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“The pageant of this nature is powerful in cementing identity and reinforces us as women to take up space and never settle for less. What I appreciate about the platform is that it is a reminder that we too matter as mothers, wives, business owners and despite the many hats that we wear, it is important to check in with self and revisit that vision board.

“When we talk about breaking down systematic barriers, we talk about such platforms that advocate for women,” says the mother of two.

Her passionate work in the beauty and pageant industry stems beyond the glitz and glamour stages. She continues to work behind the scenes as the brains behind KMP Foundation which caters to persons living with HIV/AIDS & youth initiatives such as the Miss Bramfisherville. This is part of her focus on skills development and charity drives as a way to get the youth off the streets.

She hopes to grow her foundation through the Mrs Soweto platform by sourcing out various stakeholders who would contribute in all the youth programmes she wants to initiate.

According to Malingisa, a key part of her plans include mentorship to girls and young women and programmes targeting the boy child, something which she noted has been neglected by society.

“When I started Miss Braamfischerville it was my contribution to empowering and uplifting my community. Despite its closing in 2017, it gave birth to what we call Mr and Miss Mzansi International where I use the pageant as a vehicle to reach out to as many people as possible outside Soweto.

“We have now brought in young boys whom we are mentoring. The aim is to build and make a maximum impact in society, especially to young people in the township in trying to reduce young girls from teenage pregnancy, alcohol and drug abuse.”

Malingisa’s love for showbiz has seen her fall in love with acting, got her first break through on the leading Mzansi shows like Generations the legacy and The River and has managed to scoop lead characters from Mzansi Magic.

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“I’ve always believed that I was called to be in front of a camera to inspire impact and influence regardless of life challenges thus acting has become my second love to sharing my talents with the world.”

She will join 20 other finalists who will walk the grand finale stage for the crown at Soweto Theatre. Tickets can be purchased on the official website on www.mrssoweto.co.za