For well-known Jerry Makananise, model and finalist of the Miss Makhado Royal 2022 pageant, a dream has come true. She has arranged her very own beauty pageant, "Miss Soutpansberg", which took place on Saturday 3 December at the Soutpansberg Golf Club in Louis Trichardt.
"Three years' worth of hard work, fear, blood sweat and tears all came together in a show of the sisterhood I strive to create," says Jerry. She explains that this pageant is not like the ones found anywhere else. Her aim is to give young women a place to speak up – a place where they can uplift each other, regardless of where they are from. "Saturday's event was only the start. I will continue with this until every single girl in town and in our area has a 'sister'," mentions a passionate Jerry.
Jerry has been advertising this pageant since the beginning of 2022 – mainly on social media. "Not many criteria applied, apart from girls having to be between the ages of eight and 24 years old. They had to register, pay a registration fee, send me their name, age and a picture. Initially, there were going to be 30 contestants, but some withdrew. In total, 24 contested on Saturday. There were 200 tickets for sale, but the interest was so overwhelming that many guests were standing," Jerry says.
She is thankful for the perfect ambiance for "Night at the Oscars" – the theme of the evening. Isis Décor was not only responsible for the décor, but also for the DJ work. Jerry would like to thank so many people who assisted her to make this event possible. She mentions the names of her two excellent masters of ceremonies, Wiela and Tshedza, as well as the three judges, Roelien van Dijkhorst, Wilhrisca Britz and Tintswalo Mitileni. "We were also entertained by Betty and her students with dancing, as well as with Muthu, a spoken-word poet," mentions Jerry.
"All the contestants are winners. They participated in a casual category with jeans, there was a 'Paris fashion week' and an evening gown round. A few contestants asked if there was going to be a swimwear portion during the pageant. I told them, never. This does not empower women as it should. Miss Soutpansberg is not about what the body looks like. The judges were looking for girls who are confident, have lots of personality and are people who create space to grow into," shares Jerry.
Four winners were selected in each of the categories, namely Pre-teen (Naledi Moeti – 11 years), Junior Teen (Talenta Mashau – 14 years), Teen (Ntsakisi Matobela – 17 years) and Miss (Praise Nkovani - 23 years). These winners receive, amongst others, a free entry to the Miss Limpopo 2023, a free designed gown worth R2500, a free professional make-up artist at the pageant, as well as a free photoshoot.
Prizes were also awarded for the winners of public choice, the best dressed, the best personality and the best entrepreneur (contestant who sold the most tickets for the event).
"I want to say a big thank you to everybody who contributed to the sanitary products that we were also collecting as part of the event. These will go to underprivileged girls. Another very positive aspect that came out of the pageant, is that Wilhrisca Britz, director of Ace Models Limpopo Central, with headquarters in Polokwane, is opening a branch early in the new year in Louis Trichardt. I am looking forward to be part of this and to create even more opportunities for our girls!" says a very thankful Jerry.