FEATURE: Meet Mr & Miss Cape Town Pride

MR & MISS CAPE TOWN PRIDE

This year’s Mr & Miss Cape Town Pride were chosen at a glittering event at the Joseph Stone Auditorium during the two weeks leading up to the Pride festival. As always there was a line-up of contestants and judging was a difficult process, but with every competition there have to be winners and this year the coveted title was won by Laylah Zokufah Khan: Laylah Zokufa Khan (Dudley Abrahams) is a drag artist who has furthered her career through pageantry. She was born in Wellington, Paarl and at a young vulnerable age moved to Cape Town where she began to explore and expend her interests through her love of the arts.

She wanted to have more relevance in her life by influencing the attitudes of the conservative society she lived in where “people are not really open to accepting Queer bodies,” she said. In 2015 she started her own NPO, working with The Daily Voice in getting Matric ladies who need assistance with their farewell. She worked with them in the hope of changing their mind set on life and instilling in them the importance of education. To do this she sourced various sponsorships to help them further their education and through them she would get recognition of the her true persona and not be seen by the broader community as just “die moffie op straat”. Laylah worked tirelessly in improving public perceptions of queer people and it is this drive that keeps her focused on making a success in all her undertakings. In 2016 she had a great break through when she was taken under the wing of the “great Queens in Cape Town” and ended up as the Runner-up in the Miss Gay Western Cape pageant. In 2019, she entered Miss Drag South Africa accomplishing a lifelong dream, not to win, but to conquer for a purpose. The Miss Drag South Africa requires contestants to have purposeful projects, “the first thing that came to mind was HOME BOLAND, for gay individuals who sought freedom of expression”. This project was important in that it was significant to break the chain, an opportunity for her story to help others better their lives one step at a time. “I started my project by Hosting Miss Drag Boland which was held in Wellington in August 2019 to create positive change and awareness on Trans and LGBTIQ+ rights in our country.” Owing to the ongoing pandemic the pageant will move to Cape Town this year but will return home to Wellington in March 2023. “We as Queer bodies are here to make impactful change this year’s finalists are encouraged to start an initiative close to their heart that will have long-lasting impact on the life of others I believe we should live a life of service, it is important to live a purposeful life than dying for nothing,” she said and her achievement in having been chosen to represent Cape Town Pride is a huge feather in her life’s journey. Ashwin Williams was chosen as the MR Cape Town Pride. This dropdead gorgeous man was born and raised in Robertson, attending Langeberg Secondary School where he matriculated in 2015. As a child he wanted to become a Chef, but as is often the case in life’s journey his career changed and today, he is a well-known events planner, having overseen a number of weddings and parties. He loves to travel and enjoys new challenges. He believes that being helpful and kind to fellow human beings takes little effort, but small gestures make the world a better place and cost nothing. He describes himself as having “a big heart for other people” and “always have a big smile on my face.” He is very creative, enjoys great music and is in a brigade.