Women’s Day messages
Miss SA finalists speak about empowerment and building up their peers
AHEAD of Women’s Day tomorrow, the finalists for the Miss SA pageant have shared their views on what the day means for them.
The pageant will be held tomorrow. “August 9, 1956 could be described as the birth of the women empowerment movement in our country,” said finalist Lisa Stoffela, 26, who is from Margate in KwaZulu-Natal.
Errin Brits, 22, from Joburg, said that women had been disempowered for decades, and that their power was slowly returning to them.
The finalists then spoke about which industries they would like to see women dominating.
Chuma Matsaluka, 21, a finalist from Nyanga, said she would like to see female entrepreneurs taking over the corporate space.
“The solution is to take the lead from President Cyril Ramaphosa who has a 50% female-led Cabinet,” said Sibabalwe Gcilitshana, 24, from Nqamakwe in the Eastern Cape
The women also spoke about what female empowerment meant to them, and how they could not only reclaim their own power, but build up other women as well.
“The misconception about women empowerment is that it means giving power to women; that isn’t its purpose – women already have the power, women empowerment is about enhancing and encouraging those deep reservoirs of power,” said Zozibini Tunzi, 25, who is from Tsolo in the Eastern Cape.
Nthabiseng Phoshoko, spokesperson for the LFP Group, which is sponsoring Miss SA, said “women need to own their own power”.
“As a brand that stands for youth and female empowerment, we are excited to back initiatives such as Miss SA – as a platform to give rise to phenomenal females in South Africa,” she said.