Beauty therapist to compete in Worldskills South Africa competition

Kamogelo Masela (19) will do Kempton Park proud in February when she will compete as a finalist in the Worldskills South Africa competition in Durban.

The competition is a platform for people to showcase a variety of vocational skills.

Masela will do what she does best, beauty therapy. She will be one of only three competitors from Gauteng to showcase her skills against other beauty therapists from across South Africa.

In a five-hour and 30-minute practice test, they will battle it out for a chance to represent South Africa in Kazan, Russia, later this year.

This would be a dream come true for Masela. The young talent from Clayville has never even been to Durban, never mind on the banks of the Volga and Kazanka rivers in Russia.

“If I get to go to Russia, I would be able to show the world that what I do is more than just beauty therapy. It builds confidence in people,” Masela told Express in her former classroom at Ekurhuleni West TVET College, where she completed an international diploma in beauty therapy last year.

There, she was one of beauty therapy lecturer Lezay van Wyk’s star pupils. “I am so happy for her,” Van Wyk said about Masela’s achievement.

“She has seen the broader picture of this competition and what the exposure can mean for her future as a beauty therapist.”

Masela knows that first place won’t just fall in her lap.

“I work eight hours a day at a local spa, spends at least four to six hours practising my skills at home, and I also receive training from the college to get ready for the competition,” she explains.

At home, she practices on mom Jabulani (51), who is also one of her biggest supporters.

“I’m proud of her because she puts in so much effort,” Jabulani says. “Parents must give their children a chance and support them in what they want to do.”

Masela decided to become a beauty therapist because she hopes to travel and enjoys uplifting people.

“I get to work with my hands and make people beautiful,” she says with a smile. Her makeup is done perfectly, with long lashes to accentuate her big eyes.

“My hope for the future is to learn new skills and to do them well. I also hope to open my own beauty clinic one day.”

Her skills already include manicures and pedicures, makeup, massages, facials, hair removal and much more.

Masela also has advice for aspiring beauty therapists who hope to achieve what she had: “It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, it’s all about the heart that you have. Also, be God-fearing, because nothing is impossible without God.”