Three young women from Mitchell’s Plain are hoping one of them will be crowned the next Miss Teenager South Africa in December at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg.
Zoe Jacobs, 17, from Beacon Valley, Thimna Kulati, 18, from Rondevlei Park, and Octavia Jacobs, 18, from Beacon Valley are all finalists in the competition.
Thimna was the chairwoman of Sub-council 3 in the Junior City Council of Cape Town from 2018 and 2019.
“In my two-year term, we visited Heavens Shelter in Mitchell’s Plain, and we focused mostly on children. We were able to distribute school stationery and play games with
the children, and we donated clothes and food parcels. It was a beautiful moment to spend time with
them.”
Thimna has also been involved in beach clean-ups and is on the representative council of learners at her school, Plumstead High School.
Octavia aspires to be the next Miss South Africa and have her own organisation to help young girls in her community.
“We need more role models around us,” she said. “Life is not all about the glitter and glam. We should not let our circumstances determine where we will end up one day.”
She said the country’s youth had made great sacrifices in the past in the fight for equal rights and people today should honour that by thinking of ways to help future generations.
The Spine Road High matric said she was anxious about her education for the rest of the year because of Covid-19.
“It has been a challenging time dancing between education and health,” she said.
Zoé, no relation to Octavia, is in Grade 11 at Wynberg High School, a school of arts. She said she had been working hard to feed the hungry.
“I don’t want people to go hungry, I would want children to just feel at home, relax and have a meal,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from, you shouldn’t let anyone limit you from what you want to do.”
You can follow and support the finalists on Instagram and on their Facebook pages.