Mkhuhlu model and aspiring farmer aims to give back
Her goal is to eradicate poverty and youth unemployment in her community, while also forming social sisterhood groups.
An aspiring young individual in the agricultural sector, Hlezipho Mhlongo (20), hopes to bring change to the community around her home.
Mhlongo said she hopes to bring about this change using pageant platforms such as the one she is currently a finalist for, Miss Golden Heart South Africa. .
She said when she entered this competition, the aim was to get out of her comfort zone and gain self-confidence as she embarks on her goals to give back to her community.
“I want to create platforms for young people to gain education on specific topics relevant to everyday life and safe spaces to tackle serious and personal issues such as mental illness. Young people go through a lot of issues, and some do not have access to programmes that will help them tackle them. I also want to create a sisterhood group that will nurture girls to be respectful and independent women,” Mhlongo said.
She said she hopes to win the competition, which would be the first since she started modelling in 2022. “I have entered competitions in Mkhuhlu, but I have never won a crown. Bagging the crown in this national pageant would be a dream come true, and I believe will inspire some other girls to strive to make theirs come true as well.”
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Mhlongo said her main goal in life is to become a philanthropist and tackle the poverty faced by many communities in South Africa.
She is doing her third year for a diploma in agricultural management at the University of Nelson Mandela in Eastern Cape.
“One of my long-term goals is to start programmes that will eradicate poverty through agriculture, especially in underdeveloped areas such as Mkhuhlu. I want to establish a farm that will produce organic foods for underprivileged households, while also educating them on how they can sustain themselves through small-scale agricultural practices such as backyard gardens,” she said.
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“I want to secure enough funds to start the farm which also create employment opportunities and elevate the economy around it,” Mhlongo said.
