MISS SA finalist in 2011, Lwandle Ngwenya (24), from Glenwood, Durban has her eyes on Miss Earth.
Lwandle – who holds multiple titles as a model – spoke to SunBuzz about her hope of becoming Miss Earth. The former Miss eThekwini queen said she has no regrets about her pregnancy.
“I received a lot of public scrutiny both from the media and socially but I have learnt from my mistakes.
“Pregnancy forced me to grow up mentally and I had to take responsibility for being a mother and a model at the same time. It was not easy,” she said.
Lwandle said she has managed to pick herself up after the fall.
“I was blessed because I never gained baby fat which made it easy for me to carry on modelling.
“During that period, I also discovered my acting talent and that’s when I became part of Ugu Film Festival,” said Lwandle.
She said she is always up for bigger gigs.
“My heart is set on Miss Earth. I’m one of the regional finalists and I’m looking forward to the next round.
“Miss Earth has always been close to my heart because it represents nature and a clean environment.
“Being an actress and a people’s person, I believe I will be able to get the environmental issues out there to the public.”
Lwandle has numerous achievements under her belt. Her titles include Miss Lovely Legs SA, Miss eThekwini in 2009, Miss Spring in 2010 and Miss Four Seasons in 2011.
Miss Earth director, Catherine Constantinides, said the competition is an international project seeking to highlight environmental issues locally and globally.
She said they are not looking for beauty alone, but for someone with good communication skills who values the environment.
“Our Miss Earth is somebody with good communication skills who can easily address environmentalissues.
“The winner becomes the spokesperson for Miss Earth Foundation and the United Nations Environment Programme,” said Constantinides.
The pageant will be held in September.
