Grace – beauty, brains, compassion

LIMPOPO – The grand finale of the Mrs South Africa 2015 pageant takes place tonight in Johannesburg, and the close-knit community of Ga-Lebelo near Mokopane will be cheering for one of their own to win the title.

Grace Makgoka, a qualified medical doctor and finalist in the top 25 of the competition, has fond memories of going to the fields as a child with her grandmother and other women from the community. Hearing them talk and share stories, the oratorical skills of the women was the best training on assertiveness that Makgoka could have ever received.

Makgoka is as graceful as her name suggests and she describes herself as a self-assured, sophisticated, beautiful and intelligent young woman.

Growing up, instead of making her looks her top priority, Makgoka knew she wanted to become a doctor because she wanted to help people. Her parents, both educators at the time, sacrificed a great deal so their children would receive the best education they could afford.

Though exposed to fashion and beauty when she attended boarding school at Motse Maria High School, Makgoka remained focused thanks to her guidance teacher and uncle who now works as a cardiologist.

Makgoka’s focus and dedication paid off. Besides her numerous responsibilities, she is also head of the health science faculty at the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD). She also serves on the board of the Medical Women Association of South Africa (MWASA), which empowers female doctors to make an even greater difference in society through their field.

“Pageants are more relevant now than ever before. Winning Mrs SA would give me a bigger platform to serve. I would have a chance to express myself even better and attend to issues affecting society such as gender-based violence,” Makgoka states confidently.