Lotus Park beauty queen, Akhona Portia Mkhize
Reigning beauty queen of Miss Eco-Tourism SA World 2019, Portia Akhona Mkhize from Lotus Park, is all set to represent South Africa in the Miss Eco-Tourism World Beauty Pageant to be held next month in KwaZulu-Natal.
The 19-year-old shipping and logistics student and founder of the Sani-Girls Campaign will be competing against the best of the best from around the globe in the much-anticipated event. Speaking to the Southern Star, Mkhize said: “I am super excited to be representing my diverse country in the Miss Eco-Tourism World Pageant in October. I can’t wait to welcome my sisters from around the globe and show them the different aspects of my beautiful rainbow nation and maybe even teach them a few Zulu words.”
Speaking about her current reign, Mkhize said: “In this year, I have grown into myself. Through the various community outreach projects, school talks and community services I have been a part of, I feel I have a better understanding of the meaning of life.” In 2019, Mkhize founded a campaign called Sani-Girls. The purpose of this campaign was to educate young females about menstruation and personal hygiene. “Through my school visits I identified a growing concern amongst young females that come from impoverished backgrounds that are unable to afford to buy something as essential as a sanitary pad. The is one of the reasons why I came up with this campaign,” she said. Mkhize said through this campaign she has been able to give young women the confidence they lack so that they have no need to feel embarrassed about menstruation. “As a young girl growing up, I lacked self-confidence but thanks to my very supportive mom, Gladys, I was able to see the light within myself and I was able to shine. Look at me now, I have 23 titles behind me,” she said.
Gugu Gladys Mkhize said: “Akhona’s journey has had its ups and downs, but she is the most dedicated and ambitious person. She goes for what she desires. All I can say is I wish her nothing but the best throughout this whole journey, and she must know that we’ll be supporting her.” Mkhize’s modelling coach and national director of the pageant, Ntombifuthi Gumede, said: “Portia is a humble, hard-working young lady. I started working with her when she entered Miss Teen Tourism Globe SA in 2018. She won the pageant and went on to represent SA in the Philippines.” Mkhize was selected by NYX Cosmetics as the face of the brand. “She also won a media award and was crowned ‘Darling of the Press’. She is currently representing SA in the coveted world pageant where she has been working very hard in preparation for the event. Through her work, she has been able to give back to communities,” said Gumede. Miss Eco-Tourism World will take place from 11 to 17 October and will host more than 40 countries including China, Mexico and Ethiopia to name a few.
