Pageant to help students

Miss Tertiary SA a chance for women to earn scholarship

MOVED by the #FeesMustFall protests in 2015, a Tsomo-born woman and her partner have started a beauty pageant with a difference: they are offering a year’s scholarship to the queen and her two princesses.

Lungako Magida, 28, and Luyanda Klaas found they could not sit back and do nothing as they watched thousands of desperate students taking to the streets to demand free education a few years ago.

Their response was to start Miss Tertiary SA, where contestants will strut the ramp for the three scholarships.

Magida and Klaas approached the Gauteng provincial education department, which was eager to be part of the initiative.

They have settled on June 30 as the day when the three winners will be announced at the Johannesburg City Hall, where the competition will take place.

A former editor of Journey Magazine, Magida said they were still taking baby steps with the pageant, but it would grow with time.

“Since this is our first [pageant] we want to see the response and grow as we go. We intend to add Mr in the near future,” she said.

The debut competition is open to every woman student between the ages of 18 and 30 in South Africa.

Entrants should be registered at a private or public tertiary institution.

Unlike many pageants, Miss Tertiary SA is open to women with and without children.

“Entrants with children are allowed because we do not see how having children would interfere with one’s ability to empower other women and positively impact lives, which is what Miss Tertiary SA is about.

“Contestants from outside of Johannesburg will be flown in at the expense of Miss Tertiary SA,” Magida said.

Besides the scholarship, the first prize includes a Hyundai Grand i10 car and R20 000 cash.

The first princess will walk away with the scholarship, a laptop and R15 000 cash and the second princess with the scholarship and R10 000.

The top six will not go home emptyhanded as they will each get R5 000.

All entrants will receive a free Digital Marketing Manual worth R500 to learn how to start an online career so that they can earn a living while still studying. Miss Tertiary SA will have the responsibility of hosting young women empowerment seminars, raising funds for a charitable cause of her choice and contributing to it.

“Academic exclusion due to financial hurdles is one of our biggest challenges in SA, and working on projects that assists with keeping students in classes is very important to me,” Magida said.

Gauteng education spokesman Stanley Mkhize said his department was keen to maintain its relationship with the organisers.

“This is a project we want to sustain. We want to partner with them not only for this one time but in future as well,” he said.

Entry forms can be downloaded at

and applications close on May 31. —