When the lights dimmed on the Mr and Miss Alexandra Heritage pageant at Marlboro Community Hall on September 27, marking the end of what founder Hlehle Ngubane described as a perfect event, one thing was missing: a new king and queen.

Speaking on why no one was crowned, Ngubane said the models were given tasks to complete which they failed to finish, and judges felt none of the contestants fully met the required standard. “If we are educating and they do not submit, I feel that I would be misleading them and pointing them to a wrong direction, if we gave them the crown,” she said.

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She said the programme runs throughout the year and models attend classes that make clear they must be rooted in community service and do what is required of them.

One of the judges, Lloyd ‘Ms. Jones’ Thabede, said the crown is a matter of trust. “You need to go out there and be out there. We need to crown somebody who we are going to trust with this title,” Thabede said.

Ngubane confirmed that no young men entered this year, as many are in matric. Ngubane added that participation has been a struggle since last year, when a king was crowned.

A withheld crown could have sent the models home discouraged, but it seems to have clarified what the title is for, especially among this year’s winners. First Princess Wanga Nndwa said she had been passing on what she learnt to other young models before the event. “I showed them that we can be leaders, that we are born leaders, and there is a leader inside all of us,” she said.

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With no queen beside her, her resolve has settled. “I feel happy and I want to continue doing it, even if I do not have a crown. It is not about the crown, it is about the service,” she said.

Miss Personality Angel Bhengu received her title and spoke of it as a responsibility. She said she intends to keep empowering young people and to make sure they have the support and confidence to thrive.

Second Princess Buhle Attica Zulu admitted that balancing school and pageantry was not easy, but said the effort was worth it. Her title, she said, means continuing to reach out to others and teaching them about their roots and culture.

Together, the three show what Ngubane hoped the lesson would be: that service is the real work and the crown only its recognition.

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