MODEL Lehlogonolo Machaba will not stop until she becomes the first transgender Miss South Africa.
The 25-year-old entered the pageant last year but didn’t make it to the top 10. She has entered again and is in the top 30.
Speaking to Daily Sun, Lehlogonolo from Letlhabile in North West said she felt becoming Miss South Africa was her purpose.
“What pushed me to enter again is that I’m a spiritual person and I feel like I am God driven. Looking back at my experience with the pageant in 2021, I realised I was not being myself,” she said.
“This year, I will fully express what is in my heart and I know people will relate to me. I am entering as Lehlogonolo, guided by Jesus Christ.”
She said winning would not just be big for her, but also for others from marginalised groups.
“Being a black trans woman, I am representing minorities,” she said.
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In 2021, Lehlogonolo got her ID identifying her as a woman and she said things had been going well since then.
“I recently had an interview for my dream job. I pray that everything goes well.
“I just got my learner’s licence. I am working on getting my driver’s licence,” she said.
“Everything is so much better as I’m now identified as a female. I feel lighter than before because I now know this is my purpose. I am meant to defy the odds,” she said.
She said not making it far in the pageant last year affected her.
“I suffered from anxiety. I blamed myself for not being perfect enough to be Miss South Africa.
“But I realised this is a process. We are all on a journey to find ourselves. We need to be proud of ourselves and learn from our mistakes,” she said.
Lehlogonolo needs votes to make it to the yop 10, which will be announced on 13 June.
“People can vote for me via the Miss SA app, available on the Play Store, or a link on my Instagram,” she said.