Manage Matlala, a 60-year-old mother of one, has been selected as a finalist for the Miss/Mrs Africa UK 2023. Originally from South Africa and currently residing in Kenilworth in Warwickshire in England, Matlala believes in self-confidence.
Speaking to Sunday World, Matlala said most of her life she has played a matriarchal role, where she was taking care of her younger sisters for as long as she can recall.
“I am a nurse and have been in this career for almost 40 years. I have gained a wonderful resume from this having travelled the world as a result. Working in the UK was an opportunity I embarked on without much knowledge. I took it because it was an opportunity and this was because I was trying my best to better my life and the lives of my family, a role I still play to this day,” said Matlala.
Matlala has also ventured into entrepreneurship, and is still searching for other opportunities. She came across the Miss/Mrs Africa UK pageant and decided to enter.
“The pageant is inclusive and gives an opportunity to ladies my age and with a wider range of inclusiveness because pageantry has gone beyond the ‘beauty without brains’. Instead, it is about impact and influence and bringing about change in today’s society. This offers me an opportunity to live out some of the dreams that I and many other ladies who have let the world control the narrative of who can, and who cannot, that we can always have an impact, irrespective of what standards the world has set.”
In a time where there are many barriers being broken down and allowing space for many, Matlala decided to take the initiative where she can freely express herself.
“I put myself in a position where I can freely express what it is to be beautiful, smart, wise, and impactful – but mostly, to inspire others to do the same. I refuse to let limitations define my life and I always strive to do more and go beyond where most wouldn’t dare.
“It is who I am and who I have always been. No stone is too tough to turn over, and I keep challenging myself – and this is one of the reasons why I stay young and innovative. I keep evolving.”
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