Twenty-two-year-old Muneiwa Phaswana from Tshikombani has made the top five of the Miss Heritage Limpopo 2023 pageant, and she says she is looking forward to making her community, family, and the whole of Vhembe proud.
Muneiwa is a pupil at Fhulufhelo Special School. She was born with a mental health condition, called Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), but this does not deter her from reaching for her dreams.
The Miss Limpopo Heritage pageant aims to promote young people, break the cycle of violence and crime, and embrace heritage and culture; something that motivates Muneiwa greatly. She says she joined the Miss Heritage pageant to learn more about the culture and raise awareness of disability and what can still be attained.
"I am living with a disability, but it doesn't mean I am not able to achieve my goals. I feel our province still lacks when it comes to empowering women and people living with disability, which is why I encourage women and disabled people to take a stand for what they believe in and support each other. In order to be successful, we need the support of our families to help encourage our talents through art and culture," she said.
Muneiwa added that parents with disabled girls should be more open-minded about the modelling industry. "Parents can help them become influential individuals through motivating them to follow their dreams. This will, in turn, have a positive influence on the high unemployment rate as these children will play a vital part in creating employment opportunities and growing the economy. Not everyone is academically gifted, and parents should understand this and support their children to build on their talents and skills. Your family background is something you should not allow to dampen your chances at success. I don't want to be a supermodel but a role model to others. Also, I may not make it today, but tomorrow I will because I am not a loser," she said.
For the remainder of the competition, Muneiwa will be doing a lot of charity work. On her plans for the future, she sounds confident about what she wants. "I would like to establish my own modelling agency one day to help others develop their talents and self-esteem," she says.
The crowning ceremony of the Miss Limpopo Heritage 2023 competition takes place at the Thohoyandou Town Hall on 24 September.