Mbalenhle Ncele (26) never saw herself as a beauty pageant queen Ncele was very shy growing, this makes her rise to the Miss Empress Semi-Finalist stage more surprising, even for her.
“I had very low self-esteem growing up,” she recalled.
“I was very shy and this is the last thing I would ever do. But at some point, I just went on ahead and sent them an email, a part of me wanted to challenge myself.”
Before Mbali knew it, she was in the running, and along with many other hopefuls, had to complete a series of tasks, which, if completed correctly, would grant her a spot in the semi-finals.
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“Even then I still didn’t think I’d make it. But what I can say is that being part of Empress South Africa did wonder for my self-esteem. I can feel myself improvising each day, and I will always be grateful that I took the chance,” she said.
This, Mbalenhle said, she hoped would inspire other young girls who have low self-esteem to go out and pursue their dreams.
“I know there are many little girls out there who have the same problem. Insecurities, self-doubt, and lack of confidence. These can kill your dreams if you don’t challenge them head-on. I hoped that by me taking the risk and participating in this pageant would inspire many other little girls to be confident, bold, and become go-getters,” she said.
On her influences, Ncele said her community was her biggest inspiration. It is here that she also does most of her community work, which includes, but not limited to being a regular volunteer, helping help out at The Dobsie Kasi Kitchen, otherwise known as the Istanbul Kitchen Initiative.
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