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On Wednesday, the top 30 for Miss South Africa 2023 were revealed. Gauteng has nine contestants (two from Tshwane); the Western Cape has five; KwaZulu Natal has four; the Eastern Cape and North West each have three; the Northern Cape and Limpopo each have two; and Mpumalanga and Free State each have one.
Mbali Mbalu, a fashion design graduate from Mandalay, Mitchell’s Plain in the Western Cape, is also among the top 30 female contestants.
Let’s get to know her better.
Name:
Mbali Mbalu
Region:
Mandalay, Mitchell’s Plain, Western Cape. I currently reside in Waterfall, Gauteng
Age:
25
Qualifications and occupation:
I hold a fashion design diploma and I am an entrepreneur and consultant working in the hospitality and entertainment industry. I mainly focus on conceptualizing and launching establishments. I also work as a marketing manager for one of the establishments in the hospitality sector.
Why did you decide to enter Miss South Africa 2023 and why do you deserve to win this title?
The Miss South Africa platform is an opportunity to be an ambassador of goodwill and to motivate and empower various types of women of different sexual orientations. My main focus is women seeking independence and knowing their self-worth. I would like to motivate, inspire and empower. I am a competent and self-motivated leader. I have been successful in my endeavors and in overcoming adversity and obstacles. I am confident and I lead by example. I am a young woman in business striving for financial freedom. My position in my career has taught me many important lessons about successful leadership and navigating in a working environment dominated by men in management. I have learned lessons about money and investments, as well as strategic thinking.
What do you think is the most important part of a beauty pageant?
Inclusivity.
What qualities should a woman possess to make a notable difference in the world?
Leadership, passion, compassion, self-motivation, and resilience.
Why do you believe that the Miss South Africa pageant should be more inclusive and representative of society?
Inclusivity promotes diversity and respects differences. Celebrating diversity is important to a country such as South Africa with a population of over 58 million people, 11 official languages, and a variety of ethnic and racial groups all from different backgrounds. Our diversity should be celebrated! Inclusivity helps promote and recognizes the value of each person, helps everyone feel valued and respected, and promotes community. We cannot build a better South Africa alone; we need to stand by one another and celebrate our
differences so that everyone can feel heard.
Tell us about your family.
My father, Bailey, is a self-employed accountant in public practice, he enjoys architecture, landscaping, and interior design. My mother, Jacqueline, works for a state financial agency. She shares a passion for interior design with my father. I have an older sister Sibabalwe, who is a student, and a younger brother Gcina who is in his matric year and is a young budding entrepreneur breaking into the technology industry.
How are you playing your part in your community and in South Africa?
The projects I have started and been involved in have provided jobs for Cape Town and Johannesburg. We promote women empowerment by hiring all women DJ line-ups in our Cape Town and Johannesburg establishments.
What do you love about South Africa?
The people! We have a beautiful nation known for its warm hospitality and resilience. We embrace our diversity and differences. Our nation has faced many challenges including colonization, slavery, segregation, and other political and economic differences. However, we persevere. This country is brilliant and shows signs of great potential, although there is still much room for improvement.
How do you define success?
Although success may be subjective, I believe it is the measure of reaching one’s personal accomplishments in order to feel fulfilled. That may look different for each and every individual and in society at large.
Tell us 5 short facts about yourself (including something people may not know about you)
1. In college I entered an international fashion design competition, The Frankfurt Style
Awards. As one of the finalists, my garment was showcased in Germany alongside
other young designers from all over the world.
2. I love to love and be in love.
3. I am always eager to get started and get things done
4. I’m persistent
5. I love watching cartoons
What has been your biggest disappointment and how did you bounce back?
I studied fashion design and had pictured a life of practicing this every day. Unfortunately, I was unable to make a career in fashion as I chose to be in the entertainment industry due to an unmissable opportunity. I still believe I will get back into the fashion industry at some point in the future. My persistence is my best quality.
What do you like most about yourself?
My creativity. I am able to thrive in different creative industries especially when it is related to design, be it fashion design or interior. My creativity aids my problem-solving skills. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I tend to overcompensate and as a result, I have found that people take advantage of me and I end up doing things for them that they are capable of doing themselves.
What do you think is the biggest problem facing young people today?
The unemployment rate of South Africans under the age of 30 is over 50 percent. The lack of opportunity, resources, education, inadequate infrastructure, drug abuse as well as healthcare systems, corruption, and the state the country is in, as well as the negative impact COVID-19 made on the country, only add to the already drastic issue of unemployment.
Who are your local and international female role models and why?
Oprah Winfrey, because she used her success to empower other people including schoolgirls in South Africa.
If you could have lunch with anyone famous – dead or alive – who would it be and why?
Nelson Mandela. He managed to turn a polarised divided, hateful, racial, and gender-oppressive society into a democratic, diversified, tolerant, and gender-sensitive one.
What do you do in your spare time?
Travel. I love to visit different places and learn about different cultures.
What is your message to young girls and young women in South Africa?
Your dreams are valid, and you are capable of achieving them no matter how big or crazy they may seem. You need to be strategic and thoughtful in all your planning. The world can really be your oyster if you think smart and are not scared to push against the grain. It may be hard in the beginning, but it is obtainable. Women are capable.