Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Miss SA hopefuls channel a cause
Beauties keen on empowerment
BEAUTY pageants are no longer about pretty faces; contestants now have to incorporate beauty with brains, something Cape Town models Akile Khoza and Tamaryn Green seem to exude with grace and confidence.
The pair are the province’s representatives in tomorrow’s finals of the Miss SA 2018 contest .
Chatting to Weekend Argus ahead of this weekend’s Diamond Jubilee spectacular at the Sun Arena at Time Square, Pretoria, Khoza and Green said they had a lot in common – other than having Cape Town’s hopes on their pretty shoulders.
From similar birthmarks to their academics and their care for people who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, the pair are also keen on donning the coveted crown and flying the South African flag high.
“In the short amount of time we’ve been together, I’ve learned that Tamaryn is a selfless person, generous and caring. We have similar passions. And the reasons we want to win Miss SA are similar,” said Khoza,
24, a Stellenbosch University masters in neuroscience student.
Asked why she wants to win the crown, she said: “I want to inspire young girls.
“I want to be a living example to everyone. I want t o show people that a beautiful mind can reside in a beautiful body.
“I want to show people that there are opportunities out there and you can achieve anything.”
Khoza, a débutante, said she wanted to show the world that a disadvantaged background does not define a person.
She added that it was important for Miss SA to be a role model for young people.
Final-year UCT medical student Green, 23, said winning the crown would provide her with a platform to inspire the youth “to go out there and get it”.
“I would inspire them to fight the inequality in the country,” the Paarlborn model said.
“We are all studying. We all have our stories from different backgrounds. I believe those stories are what will empower the younger generation.”
It’s second-time lucky for the model, who applied to enter Miss SA three years ago, but an untimely illness dealt a blow to her ambitions.
Asked what she would do differently to previous Miss SA winners, Green said: “With my background in medicine, should I win, I would focus on the well-being and the health of children. I would educate mothers on illness prevention.”
The aspiring paediatrician added that because there had been few coloured Miss SA winners, she wanted to add to the modest tally.
This year Miss South Africa organisers have announced an exciting change to its format.
Once the top two contestants are announced, one of the pair will be named Miss World South Africa and the other will receive the title of Miss Universe South Africa – with each having an opportunity to represent SA in the global beauty contests.
However, there can only be one Miss SA.