“Being a plus-size or chubby woman negatively affected my self-esteem, so I turned to modelling because I believed that being on stage with people who were different from me would boost my self-esteem”
With her occasional smile, oozing with contentment, this is what final-year BSc in Mathematical and Computer Sciences student at the University of Limpopo (UL), Ronewa Mafunzwa, had to say when asked why she decided to be a model.
Mafunzwa is a finalist representing UL in this year’s Miss Universities of South Africa pageant. The crowning ceremony will take place on November 26 at the Blue Waters Hotel in Durban, and Mafunzwa says her heels are rearing to walk the talk.
Growing up in Tshishivhe village in Vhembe District, she says she was bullied for being chubby in her teen years and decided to become a model to dispel the stigma that plus-size women are inadequate. Mafunzwa says losing the first pageant she entered was thought to be a huge blow to her ego, but it actually gave her even more ambition to win the next one. “After losing, my greatest achievement was me being there and showing that I could also do it.”
The 20-year-old says she was told that modelling was not for chubby people like her, “and that goes through your head…thinking you are not good enough.”
She believes that modelling is more about inner beauty. As clichéd as it sounds, Mafunzwa’s first-ever win was being named Miss Inner Beauty in 2020, and she hasn’t looked back since. Her titles include: Miss Greater Nwamitwa 2020 and Best Walk; Miss Face of Nemash North West 2021 and Public Choice; Miss Face of Matt Photography 2021; overall winner of the Face of Jazzy Events 2021; Miss Teen Universe SA Limpopo Charity 2022; Miss Apollong 2020 (second princess); Miss Face of Destiny 2021 (second princess); Miss Face of Seshego 2021 (first princess); Miss Face of Matebele Holdings and Top Model 2021; and Miss Face of Matebele Holding.
Drawing on her successful modelling career, Mafunzwa says representing an institution adds a whole new dimension to her modelling career. “This is an opportunity to apply my leadership potential while tackling various socioeconomic challenges. I will be representing thousands of UL students – the sense of representation is important. I am grateful that the institution believes in me and has provided funding for this project,” she adds.
Mafundzwa’s interests outside of modelling include programming applications and website development, which she says she’d like to pursue as a career. “At the same time, I enjoy being on stage. I really love showing people that there is more to a person than just physical appearance,” she says, adding that she intends to continue striking a balance between academics and modelling.