Times Of Swaziland: CELEBRATING PRIDE MONTH WITH WHITY ZWIDE FOUNDATION

CELEBRATING PRIDE MONTH WITH WHITY ZWIDE FOUNDATION
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Nombuso Dlamini on 22/06/2022 08:20:00


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.