ENCOURAGING the youth to be involved in civic duties, Mariannhill’s young beauty, Nosihle Mzolo, launched a beauty pageant that promotes charity work with her mother’s help.

Mzolo is an 11-year-old beauty and charity fanatic who was introduced to pageants from a very young age.

Nosihle and her mother launched the Miss and Mr Mariannhill pageant in 2022 as a fundraising event as Nosihle was assigned tasks to raise funds for a competition she entered at the time.

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“We thought of developing the girls in the community in terms of modelling, and so we launched our own pageant which will not only develop the youth but also teach them the importance of charity work. Last year, a week after our first event, some winners, together with Nosihle, visited the children’s home in Mariannhill. They spent a day with the kids and prepared food that we bought with funds raised at the event,” explained Nosihle’s mother, Londiwe Mzolo.

Mzolo said the pageant has grown this year, and they were able to add another category. “Last year, we had about 30 girls who entered, and this year, we had about 50 contestants, including the male category.

“The pageant searches for people who are confident, who can be a role model and who are givers and understand the importance of charity work as the finalists are involved in charity work and volunteering,” she said.

Mzolo said they are grateful to the community who responded warmly to their initiative. “The community showed up in numbers with their R10 contributions which helped with the charity work. We also received support from community leaders,” she said.

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