However, living in an area with restricted access to information, she did not have the opportunity to begin her modelling career until she was 23 years old. This came after she observed former Miss South Africa, Ndavi Nokeri’s success last year, which inspired her to believe that anything was possible and to begin competing in beauty pageants.

“I told myself that if a fellow village girl from Mopani could make it that far, I could too,” she remarked. “I said to myself, why not give it a shot and see where it takes me? Because this is what I have been dreaming of my entire life,” explained Mhlongo. So far she has participated in three pageants, including Miss Makhado Royal, which she won last year.

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Now at 24 years, Nsumo is studying electrical engineering at Western TVET College in Gauteng and is again a finalist for Miss Makhado Royal 2023, which will be held on December 15 in Kone village Boutique Lodge in Louis Trichardt. If she wins, she will be the reigning champion for the second time. “Being crowned Miss Makhado Royal 2023 would be an incredible honour because I want to be a mirror in which young people can see themselves and be inspired.

I want to be a living examply that anything is possible if one sets one’s mind to it,” she said. She encouraged young people to believe in themselves and push boundaries in order to make their aspirations a reality. “Success begins with you believing in yourself, your abilities, and your strength, and then putting that all together to help you move forward,” she said.