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16 February 2018 Photo Supplied
Miss Mamelodi Sundowns First Princess a proud Kovsie
Thato Mosehle was recently crowned Miss Mamelodi Sundowns First Princess

“True beauty is how you make a person feel, and I believe that I’m very beautiful,” said Thato Mosehle; Miss Mamelodi Sundowns First Princess and UFS medical student. When asked what she thought her edge was over the other contestants in the competition, Thato replied: “I will not speak about them. I will speak about myself and say it was the fact that I was true to who I am.” It is clear that Thato’s zealous character and clear sense of identity are among the determinants of her victory. Thato explained that her journey began when she could no longer play for the provincial netball team due to an injury she incurred on the court. She was very disappointed because she was relying on her netball skills to help her obtain a bursary to fund her studies. Despite this adversity, Thato was determined to be active and do something significant and profitable with her time. She began entering beauty pageants in and around Bloemfontein, such as Miss Glamorous 2016, Miss Armentum 2017, and Miss Environment.

“True beauty is
the ability to
give someone a
sense of warmth
when you arrive.”
—Thato Mosehle
Miss Mamelodi Sundowns
First Princess.

She said her prime motivation for entering this particular pageant was the prize money she could win that would help fund her studies. She described how the UFS facilitated her triumph through the challenging analysis methods from which her studies and overall knowledge and confidence derived. Thato explained that she respected the Miss Mamelodi Sundowns pageant as it promoted the empowerment of women. As a final-year medical student and Mamelodi Sundowns brand ambassador, Thato is smart enough to understand that with a specific title comes a definitive responsibility that you owe to yourself to fulfil. She explained that the essence of her win was that in the Free State, she was not just the 1st princess, she was the queen. Thato added that if students had a vision they should plan effectively and go for it.

News Archive

Inspiration from an Olympic Champion for Spring graduandi
2012-09-20

Photo: Hannes Pieterse
20 September 2012

The guest list for the Spring Graduation ceremony of the University of the Free State included an Olympic gold medallist, a former Miss South Africa finalist and the Prime Minister of a neigbouring country.

The new graduates could draw inspiration from Olympic swimming champion Chad le Clos, who was the guest speaker at the event. Also attending was the Prime Minister of Lesotho, the Honourable Thomas Thabane, who came to watch his grandson graduating from Kovsies. Sharing a stage with Le Clos was Rolene Strauss, a medical student, who was among the top five contestants at last year’s Miss South Africa competition.

Le Clos, who became a national hero in July when he won a gold medal in the 200 m butterfly at the Olympic Games by beating American swimming legend Michael Phelps, told new graduates to strive for the impossible. Giving them insight into his remarkable achievement, Le Clos told them nobody had expected him to beat Michael Phelps. “Even I thought it was impossible to achieve. Always have a goal and work towards it,” he told them and said his ambition was to build up swimming in South Africa. Le Clos said he hoped that by 2016 there would be more swimmers making South Africa proud.

Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the university, delivered an Olympic-inspired message. Quoting the motto of the modern Olympic Games, ‘faster, higher and stronger’, Prof. Jansen told the new graduates that they had to be better than those who came before them. “I expect my students in a troubled country to learn how to be different, faster, higher and stronger. Faster means efficiency; it means to be responsive to those in need."

Drawing lessons for the country from Le Clos' victory, Dr Khotso Mokhele, Chancellor of the University, told the graduates to choose optimism. Referring to the Marikana mine tragedy, Dr Mokhele said the country was far from taking the last stroke. “Even if it looks as if the curtain is down; remember that final stroke of Chad le Clos and how the great Michael Phelps was defeated.”
 

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