Pageant to give hope to local youth

THE SMALL Northern Cape town of Ritchie crowned 16-year-old Xoliswa Mokwang as its first “Face of Ritchie” pageant ambassador.

The event on November 25 was organised by Gordon Taweni with the aim of empowering the young people of Ritchie and restoring their hope.

Born in Ritchie, Taweni is a professional model, author, motivational speaker, talent scout and life coach who relocated to Johannesburg.

He said 13 young girls participated in the beauty pageant, which was supported by local sponsors, as well as a number of sponsors from outside of Ritchie.

The event further aims to motivate the youth not to give up on their dreams just because they come from a “small and forgotten” township like Ritchie.

Taweni pointed out that many young people in Ritchie have lost hope and no longer seem interested in trying new things.

He explained the harsh reality that many youngsters in Ritchie tend to just hang around and end up loitering or sitting on the street corners on a daily basis after completing matric.

He noted that many tend to end up “doing nothing with their lives” due to the lack of opportunities available to them.

“There are not many opportunities coming to Ritchie and this has resulted in them losing hope. So, by hosting this event we have built connections outside the township and we are looking for bigger opportunities to help these young people grow, taking it step by step,” said Taweni.

“We are starting it off with one person each year. So, each winner we will try to link to different opportunities and different platforms.”

He added that the winner of the pageant will be seen as the ambassador of Ritchie and will represent the young people, by being their voice.

Ritchie is set to host its next pageant on December 16, with registration already open for entries.

Taweni said that while the pageant was open to both male and female participants, it did not have any male entrants.

“But we will again have a male category next year,” he added.