VUYO MKIZE
TALL and slender, Palesa Takwi opens the front gate of her home in Meadowlands with a smile brighter than the yellow jersey she is wearing.
The 18-year-old’s striking facial features are enough reason why she is one of the 12 finalists for the Miss SA Teen pageant to be held next month.
But what does beauty mean for Takwi?
“Beauty is not skin deep. It’s not just about physical appearances. if you are beautiful on the inside, it shines through and everyone around you will see your beauty,” she says, her face glowing.
When The Star visited the Northview High School grade 12 pupil yesterday, she was preparing for her last exam – business studies – which she will be writing today.
And after that final hurdle, it’s off to the Sun City Superbowl for the final on December 10.
“People have been telling me since I was little I should go into modelling. I used to watch pageants like Miss SA on TV and won Miss Valentine when I was in grade 9.
“When I entered Miss Teen last year, I had no idea of the preparation I had to put in. I thought it was just another competition. I made it through to the second round last year and that motivated me to apply again this year,” she said.
This time Takwi was determined to make a lasting impact and to advance to higher levels within the competition.
“It was the first week of June this year when I attended a workshop in Sandton, where they taught me how to present myself to judges and how to answer questions clearly. After the workshop, I got a call two weeks later to say I’d made it to the second round,” she said.
After strutting her stuff for the judges and answering questions from the interview panel, Takwi left the second round of auditions confident that she had made it into the final 12.
“I answered them well and I was confident. But when I saw a post from a former Miss SA Teen on Facebook congratulating the 12 finalists who had made it, I somehow felt that maybe I hadn’t made it. I was so sad,” she said.
However, she received another call from the judges to say she had indeed made it through to the final 12.
“I was so excited, I screamed. My mom was also excited. Being Miss SA Teen would give me a platform to do so many things. When I was asked during the interview rounds if I would agree to the distribution of condoms in high schools, I said yes. I believe our major problem as the youth is teen pregnancy.
“If we could distribute condoms in schools, it would help decrease the high levels of teen pregnancy,” she said.
Tawki is also the face of the Sport and Fitness Club in Pimville and Maponya Mall, but apart from modelling she hopes to study finance at university next year.
Her positive attitude and self-esteem were evident when she said: “I know my weaknesses and strengths and don’t have to look at someone else to believe in what I have to offer. I’m there for the fun and experience… winning will be a bonus.”