International success for local model

A young model, Tivani Makamu (21), is a multi-talented woman who does not hesitate to go all out and explore the world in search of her niche and establishing herself as a social being.

She has been a model for some years, a talent that she discovered and nurtured while she was still a high-school pupil.

Now, she has just won an international pageant title, Miss Freedom of the World, and has further won two other subtitles, Miss Best Smile and Miss Friendship of Freedom of the World. The contest was recently held in Kosovo.

When asked where she drew her strengths from, this is what she said: “My strengths come from the people who critique me. Everyone has encountered bullies. But I am glad mine pushed me to be this amazing person I am today. I have taught myself not to be lazy and grab the opportunities that come my way and use them constructively.”

She is a multi-title winner in the modelling industry who still remains humble, with a burning desire to achieve more. She was crowned Miss Malamulele 2017, and Miss Rainbow Nation South Africa in 2018.

“I was named Model of the Year (overall winner) at Model Manifest KP, which is a modelling school that I am currently attending at Kempton Park,” she said.

Tivani worked at GCR FM for a period of three months as a presenter. She also worked as a call-centre operator at OK. Her passion includes modelling, dancing, make-up artistry and giving back to the community.

“I am also currently running a foundation that I will register soon,” she said. “Through this foundation, I engage in charity works such as donating clothes to the needy and orphanages.

While she is currently based in Gauteng, Tivani is originally from Xibangwa village in the Malamulele area. She spent half of her life in Limpopo and moved to Gauteng in 2010.

She started her Grade R at Xigalo Primary School in 2004 and moved to do grades 1to 3 at Xibangwa Primary School. She proceeded to New Era College to do grades 4 and 5; for grades 6 and 7 she attended Birtharry English Private School. She did Grade 10 at EPP Hlungwani Secondary School. “I was always moving up and down, and from one school to another, but I eventually matriculated from Eqinisweni Secondary School in Tembisa,” she said.  She attended Rosebank College, but could not graduate because she owed them tuition fees.

For the Miss Freedom World's programme, Tivani was sponsored by her friend’s father, Mr David Ramathavha. Her coach is Lindy Burrell of Model Manifest.

“My future plans are to own my own beauty salon and modelling school, which I already started, but it’s not official because I am yet to register it,” she said.

Date:14 July 2019

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

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