Phindulo Matshili (17) Glenvista High grade 11 learner is off to Portugal to represent South Africa in Mister Teen Universe.
Matshili who is from Kibler Park in the Johannesburg South will not only be representing his home country but also be putting his community on the map.
This young aspiring model star started modelling back in 2016 when he was in Grade 3 at Danie Theron Primary after his school decided to host a modelling pageant.
Matshili mentioned that the beauty pageant was something that was never noticed and acknowledged at the time however he was still interested in taking part in it.
“My parents were a bit sketchy about letting me take part in it as it cost them money at the time and if I remember carefully, my mom had told me that she didn’t have money so I decided to leave it, but something kept on pushing me to enter the pageant.
So, I decided to beg her to let me enter the competition and surprisingly she agreed as she’d seen how badly I wanted to go. I took part in the competition and I won.
Matshili’s biggest fan was his deputy principal, Mrs Gladys Nape who is currently his modelling coach.
Nape is the one who saw that he had potential and then decided to put him into Mr and Ms Supreme King and Queen in 2016.
The event was held at OR Tambo Premier Hotel and this was the first big pageant he entered. Matshili did not disappoint as he got crowned as the 1st Prince which was a huge achievement for him.
After this competition, he started entering more competitions which made him adapt to modelling and learn everything that he needed to know about modelling.
Matshili said in 2017 I had about eight wins in 11 competed pageants. This was where my love for modelling began.
“In 2018 I continued to model and won my first ever Overall Winner Award at Mr and Ms King and Queen of Iceland and I had won an iPad.
Later in 2018, I re-entered the Mr and Ms Supreme King and Queen and I won.
Winning all these competitions was a big game changer for Matshili as he was getting on top of his modelling career.
His parents started saving at least R1000 every month so that he could be able to enter modelling competitions as they could see that Matshili was good at what he did.
In 2019 Matshili decided to take a break from modelling and put his focus on his studies at school but in August he was informed that Mr and Ms Supreme King and Queen were returning and rebranded as Mr and Ms Golden Glamour stars.
“The pageant was now bigger and better, so I decided to take part in it after a long break and I won Overall Winner. I won R1000, a huge cake and a fully paid trip To Sani Pass in Drakensberg, KZN,” said Mtshili.
In 2020, Matshili took an unexpected break from modelling as the country was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and there were no pageants taking place due to quarantine.
In 2021 he took part in Mr and Ms Elite SA 2021 and won a cash prize of R5000, winning became something normal to this model star throughout. Matshili is also Mr and Ms Iceland and winner.
Last year he took part in Mr Star Universe after his friend motivated him to enter the competition.
“My friend sent me the competition details and asked me to enter the competition. He told me that I stood a chance to go to Portugal. My mom was a bit sketchy about it because it’s rare to get such opportunities but she ended up giving me a go-ahead and I won.”
“We are excited as his family, and we’re looking forward for him to come back with positive results. We trust in him and we know he’s not going to disappoint us,” said his mother, Sibongile Matshili.
