Top 5 Miss SA Teen finalist wishes to inspire
Local teenager, Mosa Papa, recently made it to the top 5 of the Miss Teen SA competition and she wants this achievement to be an inspiration to other young people.
A local beauty recently made it to the top five of the Miss Teenager South Africa 2020/ 21 competition, and although she did not win she still wants this achievement to inspire others.
The 19-year-old Mosa Papa is a Kagiso resident who entered Miss Teen SA because she knew the competition would give her a much bigger platform for her voice to be heard.
“It was an opportunity for me to inspire not only girls from my neighbourhood but all the girls in South Africa to show that it is possible no matter your background. And that is exactly what happened. I was able to help young people to realise their purpose and start taking up space.”
She believes in the power of dreams because things only seem impossible until they’re done.
When asked how it felt to be a semi-finalist she said, “It felt amazing. I was immensely proud of myself for even taking such a big step to enter a national pageant, so being a finalist just made it all incredible.”
The contestants were asked to complete social media tasks and also get involved in community work. She has always loved giving back and her journey as a finalist led to her starting her very own Mosa Simphiwe Foundation. She uses this foundation to donate to the needy and orphanages.
She started her pageant journey with Miss Classic 2017 when she was only 16.
Mosa explained that she was bullied in primary school; people would say she was too skinny or too dark.
“I knew that a lot had to be changed in terms of beauty standards. I knew that it was up to me to change the narrative of beauty, and embrace every kind of beautiful.”
When she watched Miss SA 2015 she realised the pageant is about more than just looks, and more about what you do with your title.
“So I knew that as an advocate of change, I will be able to use the platform to tackle issues dear to my heart while I uplift my community.”
While currently doing her second year BA in Communications and Media Studies at the University of Johannesburg she will be able to make a change.
She said her drive and inspiration came from her family. “I come from a family that wants me to be the best version of myself, work hard to achieve everything that I want in life, and never forget God in everything I do. So, I am inspired by where I come from, my family, my friends, the senior citizens in my community and the little children who look up to me.”
Mosa plans on working towards entering Miss South Africa in a few years. She also wants to start her own modelling academy to help other young girls.
“I still feel women are being overlooked and there aren’t enough women in leadership positions. I want young girls not to be afraid of their own dreams, to strive to achieve them and grow up with the courage to take their rightful positions in the world.”
You can visit Mosa’s social media pages on Facebook at Mosapapa and Intombi Yakwa Phapha, on Instagram at Babymow_pk, on YouTube at Intombi Yakwa Phapha and on Twitter at MosaPapa1.
