Brackenfell’s Madi Kotze has her eyes set on the Mrs South Africa crown.
The 29-year-old wife and mother is a semi-finalist in the pageant. She hails from Saldanha Bay, where she spent most of her adolescent years before moving to Cape Town in 2009.
She has sports management and education qualifications and played netball professionally until suffering a knee injury last year.
“Surgery ended my days as a player but sometimes you have to take a hard look at your situation and know that your situation does not define you,” she said.
Ms Kotze has a 2-year-old daughter and teaches Grade 7s at a primary school in Durbanville, where she also coaches netball.
She hopes winning the pageant will help her blaze a path for other women.“It is my responsibility as a parent to teach my own daughter to pursue every opportunity and to overcome every barrier.
“Keeping in mind, that no dream will ever be too big.”
Humanitarian work forms part of the pageant, and Ms Kotze said she had worked with Women4Women on female empowerment and community upliftment and Mpact Recycling, visiting schools to encourage pupils to care for the planet.
“This is not just a pageant or female empowerment movement. Mrs South Africa represents the virtues of South African women, the spirit of ubuntu, and the real, relatable women and issues that we work with,” she said.
To vote for her, SMS “Madi Kotze” to 35959.
The top-25 judging will take place at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg on Friday June 28 and Mrs SA will be crowned on Friday November 8.