Mr & Miss Albinism SA 2023 to be crowned on Saturday in Houghton

After his first successful pageant last year, former Mr International Africa Godfrey Mphatswe will crown another duo in the upcoming Mr & Miss Albinism SA 2023. 

The second instalment of the contest will take place in Houghton, Johannesburg, on December 16 where two people with albinism will hold the title for a year.  

The much-anticipated pageant for this year is themed “We Are Here”.

“The message this time is to say we are here to stay, we are part of the community, we are not going anywhere and please learn to live with us because we are from you. Two people with albinism can bear a person with melanin, and vice versa. It is to say, we are normal people, we are not a curse, it’s just lack of skin pigmentation. 

“I am looking forward to it. This project was supposed to start in 2020 but when Covid-19 hit, we had to halt it until the storm passed and now it has. I have to say it hasn’t been easy putting this event together,” said Mphatswe.

The 38-year-old, who has always been passionate about modelling became Mr SA finalist in 2016. His passion was triggered by pageants that were hosted at his primary school in North West before he moved to Gauteng in 2003. 

“I looked for a modelling agency and started modelling on runways and fashion shows. When I was a Mr SA finalist, I was tasked with doing outreach programmes. I learned how to run campaigns and raise funds because the requirement was to raise R10,000."

Mphatswe said before he started his foundation in 2018, he was invited to judge Mr & Miss Albinism in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Botswana. This inspired him to set up the pageant in SA.

He started advertising on social media, calling for persons with albinism to enter and from there fashion shows and modelling gigs were born.  

“The first challenge was dealing with their parents when it started. They were not comfortable because they are protective of their children. The second challenge was their low self-esteem. Some wanted to quit, saying they can’t do it, but I had to convince them and make sure they gained their confidence.  

“I had one who told me her family called her [a] curse, so how do we expect them to have confidence when pain is being inflicted at an early age? Most of them during their childhood were taken out from mainstream to special schools. They felt comfortable because they were with other people with different kinds of disabilities.  

Paul Moroe, 25, who won the 2022 pageant and went on to represent SA at the Mr & Miss Albinism Southern African region, said Mphatswe’s initiative helped him reach his potential. The bullying he faced during his upbringing was what made him realise that society needed to be educated about albinism.

“I gained a lot of confidence and started believing more in myself, especially when I went to represent our country. It boosted me to go out there and raise awareness for the next generation, and enhance the connection and make a strong alliance in other countries. 

Growing up in Hammanskraal, [north of] Pretoria, I had an eye condition, and it was problematic when I had to see what the teacher wrote on the board. I also struggled with name-calling, that is why I decided to be an activist,” said Moroe. 

Amelia Tshabangu, 22, who hails from Mpumalanga, and will be taking part in the upcoming pageant, said she is trying to teach those around her that her skin tone does not define her.

“I got so used to being bullied in high school, I can say I started gaining confidence only after high school and decided that I want to be the kind of person who doesn’t give up. I make sure to go out there and make a name for myself. 

“I am looking forward to building my portfolio as a model and I am looking to start my own non-profit organisation. Through the organisation, I will invest my time in showing people that we can do things for ourselves and be successful because people always get shocked by our abilities,” said Tshabangu. 

ratsatsik@sowetan.co.za