Master of Laws student, Ms Tshegofatso Molefe (24) won the Miss Mamelodi Sundowns pageant in her home province, Free State.

Miss Mamelodi Sundowns is one of the football club’s CSI initiatives. It aims to empower women in a male-dominated platform.

‘The journey has been a character building one. What I love most about the brand is that it resonates so much with who I am – a woman of diversity who is passionate about seeing the lives of young women improve through education. I want to be part of a brand that embodies the values I uphold,’ said Molefe.

She started modelling at a very young age and has won numerous pageants in Pietermaritzburg, including Miss Mgungundlovu 2014, Miss Spring 2014, and Miss Edendale Mall 2014. In her final-year of LLB studies, she made the finals of Miss Justice South Africa.

‘What attracted me to modelling was the impact and empowerment that I witnessed in the country through platforms created by pageants. Over the years, women have gone on to do great things in their communities through pageants and education. I am incredibly excited to be representing my province in the national finals next year,’ she said.

Molefe also runs an organisation called Rising Girls Foundation where she donates sanitary pads and provides mentorship to young girls. In 2017, she was appointed the first female Treasurer of the Black Lawyers Association Student Chapter and says this experience inspired her to work relentlessly for community empowerment.

She is currently working as a Candidate Attorney at Legal Aid South Africa.

Words: Lungile Ngubelanga
Photographs: Supplied