We are delighted to announce that the gorgeous and dynamic, Mbalizethu Mkhize (41), has been crowned as Mrs South Africa Globe 2020 and will represent South Africa in the Mrs Globe 2020 competition in November next year! It has been a long and exciting journey and this super-mom is an inspiration to all and aims to continue to empower those around her during her reign.
She has a heart of gold and the highlight of her journey to Mrs South Africa Globe was working closely with the Siyaphambili Orphanage Inkwa and being able to see the difference she has been able to make and will continue to make with the aim of delivering 6 months’ supply of washable sanitary pads to each girl at the orphanage.
When asked what the biggest lesson was that she learned on this journey, Mbali had this to say, “The biggest lesson was definitely to learn to appreciate each moment. There was a lot of hard work and dedication that went into all this and I had to remind myself to live in each moment. At first, that was difficult because I am the type of person who likes to plan ahead but I learned to appreciate every moment of this amazing journey,”
Apart from being the now title-holder of Mrs South Africa Globe 2020, Mbali is a successful entrepreneur, an international model, a super-mom and she plays an active role in the SB Mkhize Foundation, which was established in honour of her father, who himself was an orphan; a child slave that made it against all odds. She explains, “His spirit was never broken, he was optimist, compassionate.
He made it his life mission to make sure that every child has an opportunity to education. His favourite saying was “education levels the playing fields”. As a founding member and co-director of the foundation, her focus is on changing vulnerable children’s futures through skills development. She adds, “His life story is so inspiring and unique, my strength and resilience definitely comes from him”.
This super-mom lives between South Africa and Los Angele and she’s determined to let her charity initiatives rub off on her son. Her work at the orphanage has inspired her teenager to introduce a tutor programme for the less fortunate.
With everything that Mbali has managed to successfully achieve, she now has her sights set on taking the world-stage at the Mrs Globe competition in November 2020. There is no way Mbali could do what she does without a strong support system behind her and she credits her mother and son for being her biggest supporters. “They are my number one cheerleaders and they help make each journey so much easier,”
More about Mbali
Born (12 December 1977) and raised in Johannesburg, Mbalizethu’s work ethic was fostered in her childhood years. Her father held a master’s degree in Education and was a national policymaker in the Department of Education and her mother holds a master’s degree in Social Work.
However, she has had her fair share of obstacles and tough times in her life: “Losing the father of my son was horrible. He was my first boyfriend, my best friend. I was also extremely sad for my son, with a challenge to raise him alone and doing my best to give him the best possible life.”
Armed with ambition and drive, Mbali was determined to make a success of her life; for her sake and for that of her son. She continues, “This [set back] made me who I am today – strong and resilient, as I have to fight for both of us.”
This astute businesswoman today owns and runs many successful businesses. These include a medical tourism company with offices in Los Angeles, a recruitment agency called Talent Pool, and recently launched, Venice Swimwear, a high-end luxury swimwear range available online. She’s also about to launch a beauty product label called MM Beauty. Mbali has recently signed with a talent agency and is looking to explore more opportunities in television.
All this aside, what strikes one most of all, is Mbali’s commitment to improving the quality of other people’s lives through her philanthropic endeavours, particularly orphans from disadvantaged communities. She holds that at the forefront of everything she does.
Background | SB Mkhize Foundation
Mbalizethu shares, “My father was an orphan, and a child slave made it against all odds, his spirit was never broken, he was optimist, compassionate, he made it his life mission to make sure that every child has an opportunity to education, because this is what saved his future, his favourite saying was “education level the playing fields”. Maybe one day we can actual write an article about his life to inspire other orphans. My father was rescued by German nuns from the hands of his abusers at the age of 12. He understood that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and took it with both hands and never looked back, he later became a very passionate educator, as he saw it as his life mission to give same opportunity he was given by the Germans to other vulnerable kids. He was a respected community leader, he took schools that where the worst in the township and turn them around to be number one in the province. Because he was such an positive respected role model in the community, he became a target for apartheid government, but they never broke him, he used to say the Germans thought him to ‘stand for what is right, no matter consequences and he did.”