Returning to the pageantry world, Nande Mabala has marked her spot in the Top 10 for this year’s Miss World South Africa after competing and coming out third for Miss SA 2023, narrowly losing to reigning queen Natasha Joubert.
On Sunday morning, the Miss World SA organisation announced its Top 10 finalists on its Instagram page, revealing Mabala’s victory among her contenders as the competition draws near to its final stage, where the queen will be crowned in October.
Beaming at yet another pageantry milestone, Mabala expressed gratitude for the opportunity to partake in the “Beauty with a Purpose” ingrained pageant, where she is a step closer at the possibility of representing the country in the main show, Miss World.
“I am so honoured to be one step closer to my dream of getting the Blue Crown – Miss World crown to the South African soil and most importantly, to be given the opportunity and resources to serve and change the trajectory of the lives of children in the township,” said Mabala.
As Miss World SA is inclined to ‘beauty with a purpose’ tagline to foster change and social development in one’s community beyond the standards of conventional beauty, Mabala’s “Go Green SA” project aims to curb food insecurity, by equipping school learners with farming skills for food sustainability.
Mabala noted that teaching learners about small-scale farming beats food insecurity, where children are not stunted and enhances the cognitive development of children.
“I initiated my project to focus on using agriculture and soft skills to combat food insecurity. In SA; 30 million people live in poverty and school children make up 34% of that population. Poverty is one of the effects of the dysfunction of education in our country,” said Mabala.
The Zwelethemba, Western Cape-born BA graduate has a fruitful partnership with Zwelethemba-based Siyafuneka Primary School, in tackling food poverty.
“I have partnered with Siyafuneka Primary School in my township of Zwelethemba. We, along with the learners, are building farms on the school grounds. The crops are used to provide nutritional meals, and we teach students soft skills so that they can commercialise the farm and use the funds to improve the school infrastructure and overall quality educational experience.
“Our approach is not just about giving back, it is about instilling hope and igniting potential. We are cultivating a generation of leaders who will transform their communities for the better. As the saying goes, it is not what we do for our children, but what we teach them to do for themselves that shapes their success,” said Mabala.
Another of Mabala’s achievements is her project building two farms with two designated schools in Mbizana, Eastern Cape.
“By equipping them with these skills, we are creating leaders and change-makers that can develop their communities for the next generation.”
The Star