PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Navigating through life and chasing your dreams is often a road filled with mountains of obstacles to overcome and for Plettenberg Bay beauty queen Ncumisa Madikane, this journey has been no different.
Determined not to let her circumstances define her, Madikane could realise her dream of being crowned Miss Bachelorette SA 2020. This beauty has just made it to the top 16 of the competition and is one of the women who will be contesting the crown next year.
Miss Bachelorette SA is a women-empowerment project that aims to give unmarried mature women recognition and honour through philanthropy, fashion and beauty. This is the only pageant in SA that focuses on women between the ages of 25 and 50, who are unmarried and independent, with or without children.
Ncumisa Madikane of Plettenberg Bay is in the top 16 finalists of Miss Bachelorette SA.
Rocky start
Madikane said when she entered the competition she was not in a good state. "I was very depressed. I was mugged and they took everything. I remember I had just finished talking to one of my role models, Noksie Kholwaphi, back home.
She was shouting at me, 'I just saw a beautiful photo of you and you look damn beautiful, mntanam (my child), please don't let your circumstances allow you to give up on your beauty and the great talent you have'," Madikane recalls.
"Immediately after that two-hour long call I saw Miss SA Bachelorette SA post on Instagram. Their criteria spoke to me and I felt this would afford me the perfect platform to share my story and empower other women."
Born on 5 May 1989, she was raised by her single mother Lungiswa Manki Madikane. She went to Murray High School and completed matric in 2008 before attending South Cape College where she obtained her hairdressing qualification in 2013.
Madikane's fondest memories of school are when she was crowned Miss Murray in 2006, and passing matric. "I don't know how I passed, I was going through a lot." The owner of Love My Do By Ncu hair salon said what has always shaped her and continues to do so is her belief in God. "I always use the hashtag #becauseofGod, simply because I am because he is."
Beyoncé in the mix
Her biggest achievement to date was braiding US superstars Beyoncé's dancers and Jay Z' s assistants for the Global Citizen event in December 2018. "That was a dream come true, the highlight of everything – nothing can ever top that."
Some of her greatest challenges, Madikane says, included being a rape victim not once but three times, the first time at 15 years old. "Another challenge was when my dad was around but didn't contribute and having to see my mom doing her best to make sure I had everything I needed and that I could go to school." The deeply religious Madikane adds,
"When life knocked me down in Gauteng and left me with absolutely nothing, what pulled me through was my faith. The fact that after everything I've been through God still spared my life, I was just excited to see his purpose with my life, I still am."
Madikane has two children, Othandi-weyo Ndim Madikane (9) and Owama Ithemba (5), a girl and a boy respectively.
The final pageant is on 25 April 2020 in Polokwane. To stay up to date with Madikane's journey, people are encouraged to follow her on social media, and as soon as a voting code is available, to vote for her.
'We bring you the latest Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route news'
