Dipalesa Mbola is not just a pretty face but a force to be reckoned with while paving her way to greatness, one pageant at a time.
Dipalesa Mbola can be seen as an experienced veteran in the pageant industry. Exposed to the pageantry world at a young age by her mother, who had a love for it, Dipalesa knew
that pageantry would a part of her future. She talks to Get It about her life’s
journey. “My first pageant was at our local church where my Sunday school teacher organised the event to raise funds for the church. I don’t remember it very clearly, as I was very young,” she says. Dipalesa and her mom shared a very special bond as well as a love
for pageants. “As a young girl mother and I would sit and watch the Miss South Africa pageant. We never missed one.” Her mother was the person who encouraged her to put
herself out there as she was a very shy child and by taking part in pageants she learned how to be confident in herself. Dipalesa took part in many small pageants in her community, therefore the more she participated, the more she realised that she is capable of winning and she started loving it.
The young beauty admits that her community has had a great influence in building her confidence. The first big pageant she entered was Miss Mamelodi Sundowns, in which she
came out tops. Going on to the Nationals, she was placed in the top five. “I realised I should enter as many pageants as I could to gain as much knowledge and experience as possible before I could take the leap of faith and go for Miss SA when the time came.” Raised by a single mother, Dipalesa has great respect and appreciation for her as well as other women. She believes in women helping women, in women being able to do it all and in women attaining greatness. “My mother passed away in 2013, but something in that year after my mother’s death just clicked when I was sitting at home watching television. I saw the advert on entering Miss SA, while at the same time, in the corner of my eye, there was a picture of my mother. I decided entering Miss SA would be a way of paying homage to her.”
Dipalesa was 21 years old when she entered Miss South Africa in 2013. The Miss South Africa pageant took place in 2014. “When I entered, I honestly didn’t think that I would get in, but I placed in the top 12, which is still crazy to think about as I entered with the goal to only gain experience. The experience was eye opening and it taught me so much. We would have so many speakers and workshops daily for guidance and to prepare us for what was to come after Miss SA was over.”
During her time at Miss South Africa her schedule was jam packed every second of the day, with countless events to attend, social and corporate. She had to be ready to go any time of the day, with full make-up. “Miss SA is a one-stop-shop for everything one needs to know how to create a sustainable lifestyle and to be the best version of yourself you can be. It was the best experience I have ever had.” Dipalesa has come a long way from the little farm girl in her first pageant at the local church to a boss lady with the best of experiences and so much knowledge to keep her driven. After Miss SA, she immediately went on holiday to Cape Town to refresh and regroup. When she made her way back to Bloemfontein, she knew that she would want to share and instil her practical knowledge with other young women.
Dipalesa met her current business partner, Pitchov Kumwimba-Ngombe. They came up with the idea of a beauty pageant called Miss Glamorous Free State. To Dipalesa working as a mentor for younger girls has been interesting and takes a lot as she almost feels responsible the girls. She describes the Miss Glamorous pageant as a platform where young girls get the opportunity to grow, to learn and to better themselves for the future. “Now that I get to work behind the scenes, I realise what it takes to organise an event like this she shares.
Miss Glamorous FS has been going strong for six years now and the pageant has been fortunate to have the support of loyal sponsors. “It is a great feeling to see your own business become a success story and one that has really paved the way for our girls, especially in education where our girls go on to get scholarships to further their studying.”Dipalesa is proud of having taken her experiences and turning them into a growing success, creating lasting memories for the young ladies to whom she has been a mentor.
Text: SUANNE ENGELBRECHT Photos :WILEM JANSE VAN VUUREN Dressed by: CASPER BOSMAN
