SEBOKENG.-  Against all odds, everything is possible when you believe!

Sebokeng-born Palesa Mahloko is a 30-year-old wheelchair-user, and a woman who does not let anything stand in her way.

Currently residing in Tshepong, Sebokeng, Mahloko is a model who has been wheelchair-bound since 2014, but that has never made her shy away from the world. She became a mother at 21 just after dropping out of high school.  Seeing her son grow, she said, made her determined to make something of her life, which made her go back to finish her matric in 2019.

After doing her matric, Mahloko was part of a learnership programme where she successfully graduated and obtained her IT qualifications. She did not stop there as she started her modelling career in the same year and entered Miss Rise and Shine and was crowned the second princess.

“My love for this craft grew stronger and with the support of my family and friends, I participated in the first Miss Wheelchair South Africa. I was a top 10 finalist in 2021.”

After a personal tragedy, Mahloko took a step back from the modelling world and focused more on studying marketing management in 2022.  In 2023, she registered for a higher certificate in education at Unisa. After obtaining this qualification she registered for a diploma in Public Relations which she is currently studying. Mahloko’s love for modelling is not gone as she entered Miss Congeniality in 2024, but due to financial difficulties, she couldn’t compete in the finals.

She is currently participating in a pageant not meant for people with disabilities, Miss Inspire 2025. She will be the first participant who is wheelchair-bound to enter this pageant. Mahloko said that she wants to change the mindset of children.

Mahloko will also be hosting her first pageant called Face of ‘Seipone sa bokamoso’ which will be held later this year. This inspirational woman works in an industry where people with disabilities are never considered. She works for a production company as a general worker. She is a mother, a sister and a daughter to a family that supports her in all she does.

Indeed, against all odds everything is possible when you believe!

• Miss Inspire is a pageant that has been running since 2020. It’s all about inspiring women and girls from different age groups by giving mentorship and guidance. It will be held on March 29 at Chief Albert Luthuli Primary School in Cloverdene, Benoni.