During a long and difficult year when many were rebuilding their lives after months of Covid-19 and lockdowns, local beauty Jenny-Lee Swanepoel, 39, sought to bring a bit of sunshine to the lives of those around her. For her trouble she was crowned Mrs Krugersdorp in March this year.

Also read: Krugersdorp/ Randfontein Pageants 2021: The list of winners

Jenny-Lee never saw herself as the pageant type, and when registration opened for Miss/ Mr/ Mrs Krugersdorp she let it simply go by. But, her close friend Dominique Tibbles wouldn’t let that happen.

“Honestly, I was forced by Dominique,” she laughed.

We have a mutual friend and we just clicked when we met a year and a bit ago. I said no, and she said yes, and I said no, and she said yes!”

Dominique was crowned Mrs Westrand and Mrs Krugersdorp Curvé in 2020, and as part of her obligations toward the pageant she had to sign up five contestants and guide them through their pageant journey throughout 2021 and a part of this year.

Jenny-Lee has a background in education, but had to leave her teaching position once her salon, JD Nails Studio really started taking off. Since working at that full time she has found herself getting more involved with the community and felt that the pageant could be a way for her to reach more people.

“We had to get sponsors for our golf day, and be involved in it. We also had to become more involved in our community, which I do anyway. Then we had our quarantea with the theme ‘going green’. Mine was held at the Dandelion Day Spa and my sister-in-law sat with me and put together my outfit. The bodice was flowers made from egg boxes, and the skirt was folded newspaper to create frills. We left the boxes pretty plain to make it feel earthy.

“I wore the outfit during the finals as well along with a black dress with some bling for the second ramp, and won best dressed in my division.”

Post-pageant, Jenny-Lee poured her heart into charity work, with specific focus on the Hopelands Village home for displaced children in Magaliesburg, subsequently becoming their ambassador.

South Africa has a pandemic – abandoned babies – and we definitely need more shelters. The Covid-19 restrictions made it so difficult for these kinds of organisations to function and to get help. It’s even difficult for volunteers to come in. Hopelands just bought their first property and are getting it ready to accommodate babies.”

Her current focus is on making their June 10 golf day a success, and is working on getting businesses and individuals to sponsor holes at the golf course and get players to sign up.

“Hopelands is in the process of purchasing the property across from them as well. They need funds to secure it and then renovate it. This is the first time I’ve been an ambassador, in the forefront of something, so I’m learning as I go along.”