Seventeen-year-old Ntsakisi Matobela, a Grade-12 learner at the Emmanuel Christian School in Louis Trichardt, was crowned as the prettiest of them all during the sixth Miss Waterval 2022 beauty pageant, held at the Waterval Hall on Saturday, 1 October.
Miss Waterval 2022 was flanked by Zwivhuya Raluthada as first Princess and Zwivhuya Khomola as second Princess. For Ntsakisi, this victory is the culmination of many years of hard work, and the start of a tough road ahead in the world of beauty. "I started participating in beauty pageants when I was very young. When I was 10 years old, I told myself that I would like to compete in the Miss South Africa competition one day, and from there on I gave it my all, although I still learn a lot with each competition. I am looking forward to one day representing this province at the final of the Miss South Africa pageant to follow in the footsteps of Shudufhadzo Musida and Ndavi Nokeri," she said.
The organiser of the Miss Waterval pageant, Ms Takalani Masuluke, said that the competition was mainly aimed at giving recognition to aspiring new models, but it also identified organisations that deal with disadvantaged children. "This area has a lot of potential. What they need is assistance from those who have the experience, and this is what I will be focussing on," she said.
Masuluke said they had realised that, to reduce crime and encourage the youth to educate themselves, a need existed to offer prizes for the different activities. They were happy with the outcome of the contest, as well as the fact that they had done something for young rural adults. "Most of the talented young ladies never received the opportunity to show their talent, especially in modelling, and this competition offers them that chance," she said.