A finalist of Mrs Grand South Africa 2023, Asakhe Mtikrakra (38), has decided to give back to her community by educating young girls and women about the danger of cervical cancer.
Mtikrakra is from Mpindweni locality in Mthatha, but resides in East London. She said that the competition will be held at Johannesburg, on October 28.
She said that she likes to help people, but what made her take part in this is that she lost her mother in December 2022 due to cervical cancer.
“I entered this pageant or competition at this age for the following reasons; it is not about beauty or money. It is more about making a change in my community. I lost my mother due to cervical cancer. She started showing symptoms in April, but she was diagnosed in September when the doctors confirmed her sickness; however, the cancer was already advanced” said Mtikrakra.
According to her she wants to make a noise to private and public sectors that oncologists need to go back to the laboratories and come with the cure for cancer, as they did with HIV and Aids.
She said she wanted to ensure that the public sectors provide cancer medication to all the hospitals in the Eastern Cape.
She confirmed that she is a finalist in this beauty pageant, and it feels like her dream has come true because she will be able to speak out about health issues.
“The prize is R100 000, and to be the face of Mrs Grand South Africa. If I win this prize, cancer awareness will be my focus. I will make so much noise about cancer so that the private and public sectors can do something about the shortage of cancer medication in the Eastern Cape.”
She confirmed that among her charity work she also hosted cancer awareness in June, in her locality, where she invited all stakeholders who could assist in passing on the information about cancer awareness to the community members of that area.
