BOLD & BEAUTIFUL

BY ZAAHIER ADAMS

There is only one of you. You can’t be replicated. You can’t be copied.

WHEN HOMBA MAZALENI WALKED ONTO THE STAGE at the SunBet Arena at Time Square in Pretoria, wearing a stunning royal blue beaded dress and matching cape, the 23-year-old from Gonubie in the Eastern Cape had everyone at the Miss South Africa 2023 pageant in awe.

MAZALENI’S NATURAL BEAUTY captured the audience’s imagination. And their admiration grew when she spoke loudly and proudly about the importance of upholding the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. “I am here to do one thing and one thing only. I am here to tell the stories of those who are marginalised and are less represented,” Mazaleni told the audience. “I stand here firmly, standing for the LGBTQIA+ community. I am here representing all people who identify as queer.”

IT WAS A COURAGEOUS AND PASSIONATE ACT, especially on a platform that was once a bastion of traditionalism. But those who know Mazaleni would not have been surprised. There are few more determined individuals. Despite already having a bachelor’s degree in Human Movement Science and an honours degree in Sports Science, she is pursuing an honours degree in Biokinetics.

“There is only one of you. You can’t be replicated. You can’t be copied. There is only one of you!” Mazaleni tells Blue and Gold. “You are not put on this earth to fit someone else’s mould and are actually doing the world an injustice [if you do that]. There is power in being yourself. I am not going to sugarcoat it. It’s something I have signed myself up for. I am going to commit and see it through.

“Being a student and doing your second honours in the medical profession … and modelling … it’s a lot of hard work. But it has opened up so many doors. I will be eternally grateful to it for providing me with a platform that I can use to spread my message of love and acceptance.”

I stand here firmly, standing for the LGBTQIA+ community.

IN BETWEEN CLASSES, photo shoots and public speaking, Mazaleni still finds time for her first love: cricket. The former Border fast bowler, who played five provincial matches before moving to the University of Western Cape (UWC), recently hung up her boots but remains involved in the game as the UWC Women’s First XI strength and conditioning coach.

“CRICKET HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE FIRST LOVE OF MY LIFE. It is the first space where I could apply myself to something and see where my efforts could help me achieve my own goals,” she says. “I love cricket. I love the mannerisms of the sport. I am fully committed to the girls. It’s about staying involved in something I am passionate about. It goes back to myself. Cricket is synonymous with my being.”

LIKE SO MANY SPORTSMEN AND WOMEN ON CAMPUS, Mazaleni is grateful for the contribution the Sports Skills for Life Skills (SS4LS) programme has played in her development. “The university has been absolutely wonderful. They have provided me with a bursary through SS4LS,” she says. “They have provided me with as much as they could and I am eternally grateful for what they have done.”

WITH SO MANY CAREER OPTIONS TO EXPLORE across a range of vastly contrasting fields, what does the future hold for the talented Mazaleni? “I have found myself to be really comfortable in conversation and I have vast knowledge of sport, so I would like to marry the two and become a sports presenter,” she says. “Hopefully, after what I’ve done through Miss South Africa, this and a few of my other projects can come to fruition.”

WITH THE CONFIDENCE MAZALENI EXUDES, it is hard not to see her fulfilling her dream of becoming the next Kass Naidoo or Motshidisi Mohono.