Mrs Africa Universe’s Fikile Mdiniso reflect on ” how far we have come with reaching democratic freedom as we celebrate freedom day!
The publication had one on-one conversations on freedom day at Siyabonga Dorah”s Ark Children’s home and a place of safety situated at Roodepoort cbd area.
She spoke boldly and wisely about her journey as the crowned ‘Queen’ for Mrs Africa Universe.
” It was truly an honour and a blessing to have been crowned Mrs Universe Africa. As a little girl I looked at Miss South Africa Queens with so much inspiration and admiration. Being a mom of two I call them my two heartbeats and having been married before, never would I have imagined today that I would be wearing such a prestige title and the irony of it being from a platform started by one of the Queens I looked up too. I was trapped in a stereotype of what society deemed a wife/mom can or cannot do and therefore allowed that to be my fate”
Sdw added that things started to change with age and raising a daughter and son, she had to be a mom that would be a role model to them and that included breaking the gender stigmas so she can cement a healthy mindset to them at an early age about gender roles in the society. ”My heart is full and I will forever be grateful to our Director Bokang Montjane-Tshabalala, Miss South Africa 2010 who I also call big sis. She has given me a place of empowerment and a sisterhood” She said .
Its understood this organisation is a women empowerment platform which aims to change the narrative about beauty in society, as we live by the value of beauty with purpose, building a sisterhood and an army of women who will build and empower their communities. ”I fully embrace the journey as it has challenged me to look outside of my norm as I am in corporate as a data engineer after having graduated Cum laude in Infomation Technology”
” I’m an academic at heart and I come from a family that didn’t compromise on instilling the value of education to create a bright future for oneself, hence I am here today furthering my studies in pursuit off affiliation an international MBA. Juggling many hats from the title, motherhood, student, corporate, philanthropy and balancing that with life has been tough I won’t lie. But I get so much support from my support system being my family, friends and the Mrs Universe Africa organisation. Most of all I seek my strength from God as he has entrusted me with the gifts to carry these various assignments for a purpose. And taking the time to invest in myself emotionally, physically and spiritually is where I fuel from” She added.
She also tapped into her trip to South Korea representing the continent.
”I am so excited and looking forward to represent the African continent in Seoul for Mrs Universe. The organisation stands for raising awareness and fighting GBV and I believe that advocating for women empowerment and breaking gender bais will contribute to forming a solution to this cause. Research has validated that GBV stems from gender inequality which results in the abuse of power in gender roles played between men and women, resulting in vulnerability for women and children to be abused in our society. It gives me so much pride that I will be taking part in such a transformational movement for the future of our society in the pursuit to building a better place for all. Further more advocating for women empowerment addresses social issues including proverty as women contribute majority of the population and yet only a few are in an empowered position to participate and grow ”
REFLECTING ON HOW FAR WE HAVE COME WITH REACHING DEMOCRATIC FREEDOM AS WE CELEBRATE FREEDOM DAY SHE SAID. ” It was both emotional and heartwarming for me. I further validated the reason I have been entrusted with this title and that is to restore hope and rebuild our communities. I enjoyed every moment of playing and seeing the children’s smiles on their faces and having to be behind such a magical encounter. Knowing that I get to inspire individuals at such a young age is what makes my journey more fulfilling. On the other hand I was very emotional as I saw the children and realised they are around the same age as mine. I get to go home and be there for them but I only have a limited time with them”
”I further reflected on how far we have come with reaching democratic freedom as we celebrated today. I still feel there is a long way to go as a society in terms of achieving economic empowerment and bridging the gaps that exists in resources and necessities for the under privileged especially children who are in need and are still dependent. This gives me an opportunity as Mrs Universe Africa to expand my reach in terms of serving my community and stretches me to grow both personally and with the communities I serve as I journey into connecting the ones in need with the necessary resources. I am looking forward to doing more of such initiatives at a larger scale during and after my reign as the task never ended today”
IN HER CONCLUSION SHE SAID.”
”As a crown Queen I want to lead a legacy of bridging the gap that exists in empowered women in our society. This include being apart of initiatives and networks that are working to break gender bias, ending GVB and providing tools such as academia, entrepreneurship and various talents to be unleashed to enable continuous resource provision for our underprivileged communities” .