The voting for this national event opened on February 2 and closes on April 30. The winner will be announced in September. “People of Mpumalanga and fans all over the world, please vote for me as many times as you want.

I really need to bring this crown home,” Mashele said. “I am competing with the best, but I believe in you, people of Mpumalanga, that you will assist me to win,” she said.

The Face of Becky Casting organiser, Faith Gounder, said the competition is divided into four categories, namely junior (five to 13 years), teens (14 to 19), queens and kings (20 to 29) and legends (30 to 40).

READ: Local actress forms casting agency

“Voting started on Tuesday and the cost is R3 per entry. You may vote as many times as you want. On Wednesdays the vote is doubled while on Fridays the vote is counted three times. You vote by SMSing the contestant’s code to 47439,” she said.

Gounder said the Face of Becky Casting pageant has lucrative prizes to be won, including a five-year free membership with Becky Casting. Mashele said to vote for her, people must SMS WIN LQ24 to 47439.

Mashele is an acting mentee of Connie Ferguson, aka Karabo Moroka of Generations. With her assistance, Mashele opened a casting agency, the PBA Agency, in her hometown, Lekazi, last year.

“I think if we have more casting agencies locally, there are lots of things that could change in the acting industry, and through the use of talent, poverty could be alleviated,” she pointed out. “Mpumalanga has a lot of talent.”