The Dallmayr Mrs South Africa’s class of 2024 is finally here. Among its 2024 semi-finalists is Paarl’s very own Wilechia vd Westhuizen, a market development manager with a passion for women empowerment and job creation within the agriculture industry.
Van Der Westhuizen officially set off on her Mrs South Africa journey on Friday, 2 February 2024, during the pageant’s National Public Casting, held at the Clearwater Mall in Roodepoort, Gauteng. “I aim to bring awareness to the agricultural industry and all the initiatives we currently do for women empowerment in the surrounding Western Cape area,” says Van Der Westhuizen.
Dallmayr Mrs South Africa is a pageant and female empowerment programme designed to unleash participants’ hidden potential by teaching them valuable skills, such as leadership, financial competence, sponsorship management, communication, personal branding, and media management.
“The goal is to take women out of their comfort zones and have them rethink who they are and what they want out of life. We help them face their fears, find their purpose, and discover the strength and abilities they held inside all along,” explains Joani Johnson, CEO of Mrs South Africa.
Driven by purpose
She was motivated to apply when she saw the transformation journey of one of the finalists in the area. Like those who came before, she believes she can make a substantial impact on people’s lives.
“When visiting farms in the area I was amazed at how many workers on farms are female. Without them, we would not have an industry, but it is a very modest industry. I would love to use this platform to start a women empowerment program on these farms to equip the workers with all the skills to progress in their roles,” she explains.
The Class of 2024
Johnson notes that the class of 2024 is shaping up to be a formidable, influential group of women. “We received the most ever entries this year, beginning in November 2023 and persisting into the week leading up to the National Public Casting, which speaks to the incredible reputation that Mrs South Africa has as a result of the value we offer to all of our participants.
This is truly a life transformation journey that seeks to give our contestants the tools, knowledge, and support they need to pursue their dreams and guide them in realising their full potential as forces for good. “We were very excited by the strength and diversity of this year’s applicants, and the judges certainly had their work cut out for them in selecting the 2024 semi-finalists from such a large and inspiring group.”
Van Der Westhuizen has already joined in on a jam-packed weekend of empowerment workshops and development events held during the first Dallmayr Mrs South Africa Semi-Finalist Conference of the year on 3 and 4 February 2024, at Emperors Palace.
Van Der Westhuizen will participate in many more workshops, photoshoots, media interviews, fitness challenges, sponsor events, and community projects in the days leading up to the Semi-Finals Judging Week and Showcase early in July, where the 2024 top 30 finalists will be announced.
Dallmayr Mrs South Africa 2024 is made possible by its generous sponsors: Dallmayr Coffee, PR Worx, Clearwater Mall, Chery Krugersdorp, Skin Renewal, Hirsch’s Homestore, Brentoni Eyewear, BTL, Slimz, Protein Feed Haircare, Urbantrend, PKF Octagon, iStyle, Espavo Hair Design, Action Coach, Truewood Furniture, Kryolan Professional Makeup, Flora Mystique, Collagen Lift Paris, Wild Africa Cream, Lashout by Monise Beauty, Maskscara, Whirlpool, Wild Coast Sun, Karma Clothing, Caribbean Tan, and IME.
