Passion for culture and tradition has seen Zasembo Mkhize being crowned Miss Indoni KZN 2024. The 20-year-old Durban University of Technology (DUT) Journalism student won the judges hearts with her stunning traditional attire at the annual prestigious Indoni event, which was held recently at Indoni Eco Village.
The national cultural pageant advocates for moral regeneration targeting the youth by using identity focused programmes such as a tool for addressing social ills and bringing about behavioural change.
“This is my second time entering the competition, what motivated me was that I had always wanted to be the voice of the Zulu people and I also wanted to show that if you want to do something and you fight for it, you can and you will get it,” said Mkhize.
Sharing her experience on the pageant, Mkhize indicated that she learned a lot about herself during the course of the competition and preparing for it needed her to look within herself and figure out who she was. She was happy about finally winning as it made her proud of herself.
“I received a lot of knowledge about my culture as well as the culture and heritage of the Zulu kingdom. Preparing for the competition meant that I needed to create a schedule for myself so that I could be able to balance my schoolwork and the duties that I needed to do for the competition,” she added.
In relaying information about the competition, Mkhize expressed that Mr. and Miss Indoni KZN was a competition where you show how much knowledge you gained about your culture from the Indoni Culture School, which was a camp where you are taught about your culture and heritage. In the competition, you show and inform people about who you are and where you come from.
The 20-year-old is in her first year in the Faculty of Arts and Design and she is doing a Bachelor of Journalism.
She further advised young people about what they can do to also begin the journey that she has taken. “What I can tell young people is to come and attend the Indoni Culture School so that they too can be taught about their culture and heritage,” she said.
Pictured: Zasembo Mkhize.
Minenhle Zikhali
