Young people with intellectual and learning disabilities were recognised for their confidence, leadership and personal growth.
Nonhlanhla Nxasana (left), 21, from Braamfontein, is crowned Miss Ability 2026 by last year’s winner Dila Owami Joaquim, at the Mr And Miss Ability contest, held at Nine Yards in Rosebank, 31 July 2026. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
The second annual Mr and Miss Ability pageant was hosted by the Afrika Tikkun Foundation at Nine Yards in Johannesburg on Friday.
The pageant forms part of Afrika Tikkun’s disability inclusion programme and aims to empower young people living with disabilities by celebrating self-confidence, talent and personal development rather than traditional beauty pageant standards. Participants undergo weeks of preparation, including confidence-building, public speaking and stage presence training, before taking part in the competition.
This year’s winners were Yanga Gongwana, 25, from Orange Farm, who was crowned Mr Ability 2026, and Nonhlanhla Nxasana, 21, from Braamfontein, who was named Miss Ability. Njabulo Vincent Mthembu, 27, from Alexandra, and Ayanda Mncube, 28, from Braamfontein, were awarded the Prince and Princess titles.
The four titleholders will serve as Disability Inclusion Ambassadors for Afrika Tikkun over the next year, helping to promote greater awareness, inclusion and opportunities for people living with disabilities.
The pageant, now in its second year, followed the inaugural Beauty in Ability event held in 2025. As with last year’s event, 20 finalists took part, but this year’s contestants were selected from Afrika Tikkun Foundation’s four Johannesburg Centres of Excellence in Diepsloot, Alexandra, Braampark and Orange Farm.
Contestants first competed in pre-selection events at each centre, where managers and facilitators nominated young people who had demonstrated personal growth, confidence and readiness to participate.
Leading up to the finals, auxiliary social workers worked with the contestants through regular rehearsals, helping them develop stage presence, communication skills and self-confidence. For many participants, it was their first experience performing before an audience.
According to Afrika Tikkun, the pageant is one part of a broader year-round disability inclusion programme that includes work-readiness training, life and work skills development, corporate disability awareness initiatives and partnerships with employers to improve workplace inclusion.
The organisation said its disability programme is integrated into its cradle-to-career model, ensuring that inclusion is embedded throughout a young person’s development rather than treated as a separate initiative. The programme is benchmarked against international frameworks, including the Valuable 500 and the UN Zero Project.
Organisers said the pageant provides participants with an opportunity to build confidence, develop leadership skills and challenge stereotypes surrounding disability while encouraging greater inclusion within society.
