IT HAS been nine months now since her participation in the Miss SA pageant created a public fiasco.
An unknown in Mzansi entertainment circles, Tidimalo Setlhako's name made headlines amid allegations that her family ties to famous DJ Black Coffee played a hand in her selection. The popular club DJ dramatically stepped down from the pageant's judging panel.
Now that the storm has passed and the search for a new titleholder to replace Rolene Strauss is under way, Setlhako goes about her business, focusing on her new job as communications intern for Cell C.
The well-spoken 23-year-old, who holds a degree majoring in journalism and marketing from Monash University, is making strides in the corporate sector. Adding to her boasting rights of finishing in the top five of the coveted beauty pageant, Setlhako also serves as a strategist at Maths Genius, an educational nongovernmental organisation.
Opening up to Sowetan about Miss SA and how it changed her life, she says the "once-off" decision to participate in the contest helped her discover what she wanted to do in life, which is women empowerment.
"I remember going into the pageant and being asked what I liked and what I had a passion for. The thing that resonated with me was women empowerment," she says.
"I gathered this from a lot of experiences in my life. I didn't know how and in what type of structure I would achieve that."
Her role at Maths Genius gives her that structure. She heads the women educational promotion in the organisation. This, she says, is one of the ways she hopes to help women "unlock" their potential.
"The aim is to help unlock and change the outlook for women," she says. "Our focus as an organisation is, like mathematics, to promote problem-solving. Any problem."
In hindsight, the storm about Black Coffee's involvement had a silver lining. It helped bring her closer to her actress half-sister, Mbali Mlotshwa, who is married to the DJ.
"I didn't know him [Black Coffee] personally. I also didn't have a relationship with my sister. But when the whole thing came out, Mbali wasn't happy by the manner it was blown out of proportion," she says.
"She supported me during the time and this made us close. I might have lost the competition but I gained a sister."
The only strutting the Vereeniging-born svelte beauty will now be doing is up and down the office.
"I will always treasure the experience of Miss SA, [but], "my focus going ahead is to be an entrepreneur."
Her positions as editor of Monash student magazine iRep Monash and her presidency of the Journalism Society during her tertiary years speak volumes of her intellect.
l The final open casting for Miss SA 2015 takes place at The Maslow Hotel in Sandton on October 26.
khumelaj@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
Well-spoken with degree of intellect - Empowerment of women keeps Setlhako going
IT HAS been nine months now since her participation in the Miss SA pageant created a public fiasco.
An unknown in Mzansi entertainment circles, Tidimalo Setlhako's name made headlines amid allegations that her family ties to famous DJ Black Coffee played a hand in her selection. The popular club DJ dramatically stepped down from the pageant's judging panel.
Now that the storm has passed and the search for a new titleholder to replace Rolene Strauss is under way, Setlhako goes about her business, focusing on her new job as communications intern for Cell C.
The well-spoken 23-year-old, who holds a degree majoring in journalism and marketing from Monash University, is making strides in the corporate sector. Adding to her boasting rights of finishing in the top five of the coveted beauty pageant, Setlhako also serves as a strategist at Maths Genius, an educational nongovernmental organisation.
Opening up to Sowetan about Miss SA and how it changed her life, she says the "once-off" decision to participate in the contest helped her discover what she wanted to do in life, which is women empowerment.
"I remember going into the pageant and being asked what I liked and what I had a passion for. The thing that resonated with me was women empowerment," she says.
"I gathered this from a lot of experiences in my life. I didn't know how and in what type of structure I would achieve that."
Her role at Maths Genius gives her that structure. She heads the women educational promotion in the organisation. This, she says, is one of the ways she hopes to help women "unlock" their potential.
"The aim is to help unlock and change the outlook for women," she says. "Our focus as an organisation is, like mathematics, to promote problem-solving. Any problem."
In hindsight, the storm about Black Coffee's involvement had a silver lining. It helped bring her closer to her actress half-sister, Mbali Mlotshwa, who is married to the DJ.
"I didn't know him [Black Coffee] personally. I also didn't have a relationship with my sister. But when the whole thing came out, Mbali wasn't happy by the manner it was blown out of proportion," she says.
"She supported me during the time and this made us close. I might have lost the competition but I gained a sister."
The only strutting the Vereeniging-born svelte beauty will now be doing is up and down the office.
"I will always treasure the experience of Miss SA, [but], "my focus going ahead is to be an entrepreneur."
Her positions as editor of Monash student magazine iRep Monash and her presidency of the Journalism Society during her tertiary years speak volumes of her intellect.
l The final open casting for Miss SA 2015 takes place at The Maslow Hotel in Sandton on October 26.
khumelaj@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
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