CELEBRATING PRIDE MONTH WITH WHITY ZWIDE FOUNDATION

MBABANE- A milestone as we celebrate Gay Pride month!

Simphiwe Nhlanhla Nxumalo a known beauty queen in the pageantry scene in South Africa has formed a foundation which grooms, trains and dresses models who aspire to enter beauty pageants. The  Whity  Zwide Foundation was formed in January 31, 2022. The queen, who hails from Ludzeludze in Manzini, is a three-time pageant title holder and current reigning Queen for the Miss Easter Diva South Africa 2022 title. The beauty queen experienced hardships growing up as she lost her mother in the early 2000s. Her brother and grandmother had to step in with helping her obtain an education.

She also faced challenges like bullying due to the fact that she was confused about her sexuality. To escape the then reality of her life, she was introduced to music. This is where she fell into warm hands and got mentored by vocal coach, Ncamisile Mtseftwa. “My peers made my life really hard and always wanted to portray their own lifestyle onto mine which was difficult for me because I knew I was different but I didn’t know how,” said Nxumalo. Although she had fallen for music, it wasn’t what she had set her mind on.

Troubles

2011 was the year that changed everything for the queen; she left all her troubles behind for the city of dreams, Johannesburg South Africa. This was a make it or break it moment for Nxumalo as she had lost her grandmother and life hit an ultimate low, so relocation was part of a long quest to find a better education and greater opportunities in the pageantry space.
As she was settling in, she hustled her way into the doorstep of PT modelling agency owned by Peter Thobejane. Nxumalo’s passion for the ramp shone bright and Thobejane invested in the queens’ dream, training her at no charge whatsoever.

This new space that she was in, allowed her to gain enough confidence to join and actually compete in international beauty pageants. “The stage became my second home and I felt the safest when I was strutting and smiling to an audience,” proudly said Nxumalo. It was so rewarding that she decided to make a career out of it. “I’ve entered and won quite a number of pageants from Miss Gay Alexander and Thembisa and Miss Diva South Africa just to name a few. “With the support I had from the modelling agency and my family, I was able to `properly prepare for my pageants and that is a challenge that most models don’t have. “This is how the foundation was born,” said the queen. She went on to say the initiative was formed. This is where the beauty queen saw a gap in the pageantry industry for support and financial aid in preparations for models.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: