Univen students scoop up first Mr and Miss Nzhelele Valley titles

The first ever Mr and Miss Nzhelele Valley beauty pageant took place at Armed for Harvest Ministry in Biaba on Saturday.

The founder of the pageant, Junior Mulaudzi, said after hosting Miss Venda Plus Size in 2017, they received several requests from local models to host an event that would cater for models of size 34 downwards. "We want this pageant to boost local models’ confidence, so that they can compete at provincial and national level," Mulaudzi said.

The winners of the pageant are students of the University of Venda. Mukondeleli Anemone Mathabi, a first year BEd student, was crowned the queen. An ecstatic Mathabi said: "I am grateful to God that He finally answered my prayers after such a long time of losing so many pageants. It's a dream come true to be granted my very first title in my journey of pageantry and I hope this is the first of many more to come."

The 19-year-old Mathabi from Thohoyandou aspires to win Miss South Africa one day, but her short-term goal is to win Miss Univen. "To me, modelling is a spiritual thing. It's not just about showcasing myself, but it comes with a lot of soul connection and massive passion," she said.

Tendani Mavhila (21), a botany and zoology student, was crowned the king. "I feel fantastic and very honoured to be crowned the king. My hard work finally paid off," Mavhila said, overwhelmed with joy.

The resident of Ha-Madodonga said he was short of confidence when he started participating in the pageant. "This victory will go a long way in helping me in future pageants. My goal now is to win Mr Limpopo. This pageant is part of the growing experience," he said.

Other winners are Amphulusaho Mushadu (first prince), Lucky Matsenene (second prince), Vincent Matsea (Mr Personality), Vhulenda Mukwevho (first princess), Denga Muremela (second princess), Sepheu Selalelo (Miss Personality) and Jessica Tshikhuthula (Miss Entrepreneur). The event was organized by Mudifho Empire Entertainment. 

Date:26 August 2019

By: Mbulaheni Ridovhona

The 22-year-old Mbulaheni (Gary) Ridovhona has been passionate about journalism to the extent that he would buy himself a copy of weekly Univen students' newsletter, Our Voice. After reading, he would write stories about his rural village, Mamvuka, and submit them to the very newsletter for publication. His deep-rooted love for words and writing saw him register for a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies at the University of Venda, and joined the Limpopo Mirror team in February 2016 as a journalism intern.

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