Despite some nerves, Mooi River-born model Nombulelo Mthembu remains hopeful as she travels to Durban to compete in the Miss National South Africa pageant, taking place from Thursday, June 27 to Friday, June 28.

The Grade 10 learner from Estcourt Secondary School has made it to the finals of the national competition.

“As I head to Durban today, I’ll be competing to make it into the Top 10, Top 5 and Top 3, where the Queen, First Princess and Second Princess will be crowned. I believe there are 27 contestants in total,” said Mthembu.

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She admitted her journey to this stage has not been easy.

“There were times I felt like giving up, but my parents were always there, encouraging me to keep going,” she added.

Nombulelo will be competing against contestants from provinces across South Africa, including Gauteng and Limpopo.

Although confident, she acknowledged the challenges that remain. “To make it to the Top 5, each contestant must sell more than 10 tickets and receive at least 2,000 votes — which I currently do not have. Every contestant is required to sell tickets,” she explained.

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