Pretoria - University of Pretoria student and Miss Teen Universe first princess Ntando Sgudla was yesterday declared an official ambassador of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture by Minister Nathi Mthethwa during a meeting in his office.
The 18-year-old paid the minister a visit to personally thank him and the department for their sponsorship of her participation at the Dubai pageant, held in March.
Sgudla, a first year Town and Regional Planning student, went to Dubai for the event which was won by Harnaaz Sandhu from India.
She was a beneficiary of the Mzansi Golden Economy Touring Venture Fund, through which the department sponsored her travel costs, and her pageantry outfits worn to compete in the world contest.
Thanking the department and Mthethwa, she said: “From a young age I knew I wanted to do something with my life. Within me there was an itch to do something, outside of my capacity at school. That’s when my mom entered me into pageants. She really motivated me to continue. Even if I didn’t win, she would encourage me to keep my head up.
“I would not have gotten this far without her support. Many children don’t have that support from their parents, but my mom has encouraged me to keep going and she believed in my dreams. Everything in my life has been a stepping stone for me,” she said.
The pageant was a stepping stone for her, she said, as it would propel her to one day becoming Miss Universe.
She told Mthethwa: “It’s all been so surreal. Never in my life did I think I would be able to travel abroad and achieve what I have. I was overwhelmed with joy, even before the competition.”
In response, Mthethwa said: “You have made us extremely proud. You are our kid and we are your parents as government. We want to see your dreams come true.”
Pretoria News