Germiston can boast a gorgeous resident who stands a chance of wearing the Miss South Africa crown.<\/p>\n
Gugulethu Banda (21), from Spruitview, is among the 24 semi-finalists in the Miss South Africa 2015 competition, who were announced on Thursday.<\/p>
The young woman is currently studying towards a BA in tourism development at the University of Johannesburg and is in her first year of study.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason I enrolled for this particular qualification is because of my love for travel and tourism,” she said.<\/p>
\u201cI aspire to be a part of the South African tourism industry and be a business woman in that field.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to contribute towards making South Africa\u2019s tourism sector bigger than it already is.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am also working part time as a Wing team member for Redbull.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gugulethu said the reason she wants to be Miss South Africa is because she strongly believes in beauty pageants being a representation of a woman\u2019s inner and outer beauty.<\/p>\n
\u201cMiss South Africa should inspire and empower women, both young and old, as well as represent her country in the best possible way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could do exactly that if given the platform,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She added that a previous Miss SA who has inspired her is Basetsana Kumalo.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring her reign she used the platform as a stepping stone to build herself as a woman and a brand.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday she is one of South Africa\u2019s most successful women and that alone inspires me,\u201d Gugulethu said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am working towards being a successful businesswoman and she is my role model.<\/p>\n
\u201cMelinda Bam is also an inspiration.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe brought authenticity to the Miss South Africa Pageant without having a pageant queen background.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can relate to that.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is a hard worker and one of my favourite people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another of the people Gugulethu sees as a role model is her mother, Pshengisile Ida.<\/p>\n
She is supportive of everything the young woman does and instils positivity in her.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows what to say and when to say it,” Gugulethu explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe motivates me to do everything I want to do to the best of my ability.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pshengisile is family-orientated and loves cooking and doing chores around the house.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe puts her family first and my father, Restin, was exactly like my mother before he passed away earlier this year,” Gugulethu said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have two older brothers, Mzamo is 27, self-employed and lives in Mpumalanga, while Sbongiseni is 29 and works for SASA as an administrative clerk.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother is a secretary at a company of attorneys.\u201d<\/p>\n
In her spare time Gugulethu has a part-time job which takes up most of her time, otherwise she enjoys reading magazines, listening to music and spending time with her family and friends.<\/p>\n
Currently, she is reading The Apple of his Eye, by JoAnne Simmons, a book given to her by her best friend for her birthday this year.<\/p>\n
With regard to music, Gugulethu said: \u201cI listen to different genres of music.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like hip hop, house music and slow jams.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy most played album, is Souled Out, by Jhene Aiko.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her taste in television programmes runs to reality shows and crime programmes.<\/p>\n
Her current favourite show is Cooking with Siba and she loves to eat pasta and sushi.<\/p>\n
The two things that would surprise people about her is the fact that she is actually very shy and that she is a bad dancer.<\/p>\n
Gugulethu has the following message for young girls and young women in South Africa: \u201cWe are very privileged to have been given the ability, as well as the opportunities, to be exactly what we want to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith that said, anything is possible when you have a positive mind-set to match the capacity of your dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n
If she takes home the title of Miss South Africa 2015 on March 29, next year, Gugulethu would love to meet Basetsana Khumalo.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to sit down with her and take notes as to how she got to where she is today,” she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe inspires me to work harder in order to be the woman I want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 10 finalists in the competition will be revealed early next year.<\/p>\n