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UFS student Lerato Pitso set to represent Lesotho in Miss Supranational pageant

18 November 2022 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Supplied

Lerato Pitso, a Bachelor of Social Sciences student at the University of the Free State (UFS), has been selected to represent her home country of Lesotho in the prestigious Miss Supranational competition, which will be held in Poland in 2023. “I’m still nervous about the fact that I have been selected to represent my country in this competition. However, the selection means that I have a lot of people who actually believe in me,” Pitso stated.

Miss Supranational

Miss Supranational is an internationally recognised beauty pageant overseen by the World Beauty Association.This is the third time that a UFS student has participated in this international competition. Earlier this year Boitumelo Sehlotho, a Bachelor of Accounting student at the UFS, who was also named the Face of Lesotho in 2019, represented her country at the Miss Supranational pageant 2022. Thato Mosehle, a graduate from the Faculty of Health Sciences, was runner-up in the Miss Supranational pageant held in Poland in 2021.

Pitso perceives the pageant as a platform to encourage young women to do more to change the world. She was selected to represent Lesotho in the competition based on the contributions she made in and around her community.

Community Engagement

Pitso’s community engagement includes participation in a digital inclusion campaign in Lesotho. “The campaign intended to involve accountable ministries in addressing technological issues to empower students with technological skills to be competent for the global environment. Pitso was also involved in the Meal in a Jar initiative, which was run by the Office for International Affairs at the UFS. Through this initiative, high school learners in the Grassland community in Bloemfontein were taught to recycle materials, and to produce new products which they could then sell for profit. “The project aimed to spark an entrepreneurial mindset,” said Pitso. In addition, she has also worked with the SHE-HIVE Association, a non-governmental organisation based in Maseru, Lesotho, which offers counselling and legal assistance to those who have been affected by gender-based violence. As such, Pitso asserts that she is the best to represent her nation based on the work she has put in.

Preparing for the Miss Supranational stage

Pitso said getting ready for a competition of this magnitude is a huge undertaking. “Preparation for the big stage includes rigorous training in which one learns to walk in a certain manner, and a commitment to the gym in order to be physically fit for the competition.” She also asserts that taking care of her mental health is a priority before walking on that stage.

It is also important to note that the last two winners of the competition are from Africa, and this serves as motivation for Pitso. “The fact that people who come from a similar society to me could attain the prize makes me believe in myself. It means that it’s also possible for me to put in the work and excel in the competition,” she said.

News Archive

Louzanne breaks own world record in Switzerland

2017-06-09

Description: Louzanne breaks own world record Tags: Louzanne breaks own world record

Rufus Botha (left), coach of the athlete Louzanne Coetzee,
went overseas with Coetzee and her guide,
Khothatso Mokone, for a race for the first time.
Coetzee improved her T11 5 000 m world record with more
than 20 seconds in Switzerland.
Photo: Johan Roux

She fought against illness, had to get the green light from medical personnel shortly before her main race, and was very nervous. However, on 5 June 2017, the blind athlete Louzanne Coetzee managed to improve the T11 5 000 m world record with more than 20 seconds.

The Kovsie star’s time of 18:14.27 at the ParAthletics Grand Prix in Nottwil, Switzerland, was approximately 23 seconds faster than her previous world record (18:37.23). In addition, Coetzee, who works at the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice at the University of the Free State, also improved the South African T11 800 m record to 2:30.18 on 2 June 2017, and her 4:59.54 on 3 June 2017 in the T11 1 500 m was almost another national record.

Carried by UFS and other support
“One could never be ungrateful when running close to your personal best,” Coetzee said. “Fortunately, with God’s blessing, the support of everybody at home, support from the university, as well as my mom and them, it really was a very blessed and successful event.”

According to her coach, Rufus Botha, Coetzee was not feeling well before the event and had to get medical clearance before the 5 000 m. He told her not to run too hard, even though their goal was 18:20. “She ran an incredible final 600 m, which brought the time down to 18:14,” he said. “It was amazing to watch.”

Botha’s knowledge valuable abroad
He enjoyed going overseas with Coetzee and her guide, Khothatso Mokone, for the first time. “His (Botha’s) experience, knowledge, support, and coaching was extremely valuable,” Coetzee said. “It will definitely help me in future: how to approach things, and everything he shared with us.”

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