East London beauties vie for Mrs SA crown
Three East London-born beauties – Babalwa Zibi, Unetsie Steenberg-Botha and Vuyo Maqubela – are vying for the coveted Tammy Taylor Mrs South Africa title.
The three are the only Eastern Cape women to have made it to the top 25 of the pageant.
The pageant was created especially for married women, and allows them to be ambassadors for SA on a global scale. It is hoped that through the journey of Mrs South Africa, women find themselves again and learn that it is never too late to follow their dreams and become voices of change.
Zibi, a mother of three, who was born in Mdantsane but relocated to Johannesburg, said she wanted to empower other women.
“I saw Mrs South Africa as more of an empowerment programme than a beauty pageant, I used to be affected by people’s opinions about me and I would downplay my strengths in order to make others feel comfortable around me. Through this competition I have learnt to gain self-confidence.
“I am and have always been determined to empower myself as well as to empower other women. Mrs South Africa has opened up that platform for me, which is why I seized the opportunity when I saw it,” she said.
Zibi is no stranger to beauty pageants as she was crowned Miss Umhlobo Wenene in 1999. She said this was a career highlight.
“What I love the most about beauty pageants is that they not only groom you to look good, they teach you to know and embrace yourself for who you are,” she said.
Zibi has15 years experience in human resources and is the the MD of Sobanako Consulting in Centurion.
She also owns Johari Hair and Beauty salon in Amalinda.
The grand finale is on November 9 at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park.
To vote for the three, SMS: SABC3 Babalwa, SABC3 Unetsie or SABC3 Vuyo to 35959.
An SMS costs R3. People can also like their pictures on the Mrs SA Facebook page.