Mthatha pre-teen and Miss Golden Heart 2023 pageant finalist, Lulo Jijana (12), has demonstrated that she has what it takes to be the pageant’s face and ambassador, after successfully executing her first task as a finalist.
Jijana recently donated clothes and shared snacks and words of encouragement with her peers at the Thembelihle Children’s Orphanage in Norwood, Mthatha.
The donation came after she successfully fund-raised over R1 500 from her school and in Mbuqe Extension where she lives.
The fund-raising and subsequent donation was a task she was given by the organisers of the Miss Golden Heart pageant, which was intended to encourage the spirit of giving to the needy among this year’s finalists.
Jijana is planning to further collect and donate sanitary pads and toiletries to a school in her home town of Kwa Bhaca (formerly Mount Frere), as part of her charitable causes as a build up to the Miss Golden Heart finals.
She is a finalist in the Pre-Teen category of the competition.
Jijana, a Grade 6 learner at Vela Combined School in Mthatha, says competing in beauty pageants boosts her confidence and she hopes to win this year’s Miss Golden Heart, not only for her own glory but also to share the cash and other prizes on offer with those in need.
“My love for beauty pageants started when I was five years old, through watching contests like Miss South Africa and Miss Universe. I also have a family relative who used to compete in local beauty pageants, and she has been an inspiration and role model that made me follow in her footsteps,” said Jijana.
She finished third in Miss Dare to Dream last year. Jijana also competed in the Miss Petite Idol 2022, where she finished in fourth place.
The Miss Golden Heart 2023 finals will take place in East London on October 7.
