“I truly believe that there is a time and a season for everything.”
These are the words of Ndavi Nokeri, University of Pretoria Bcom Investment Management graduate and now Miss SA top ten finalist. Ndavi originally hails from the humble Gabaza Village, Limpopo but was raised in the beautiful tropical town of Tzaneen.
Ndavi’s Miss SA journey is a blueprint of the fruits that come from setting goals and writing your vision down. “ Back in 2021 when I set my goals and created my vision board, I wrote down ‘Miss SA 2022’. ” She believes that a vision is not something you hope or wish for, but rather a glimpse of your future. Keeping herself accountable to her goals, she followed through and entered the Miss South Africa pageant in 2022.
New journeys are often coupled with the fear of an unknown outcome and for Ndavi, public failure was one of them. “ I still had a choice to make; allow my fears to stop me from living my purpose or believe in the beauty of taking a leap of faith.” She boldly chose the latter and is enjoying the leaps that come with having faith.
Ndavi was raised in a Christian home and today enjoys the benefits of being moulded in such an environment. “ I am able to lead a life of service to others; living from a place of love and compassion, which are the core qualities I value most,” she says. She adds that her relationship with God has allowed her to have the faith to enter rooms she thought she did not qualify for and it is that relationship that has sustained her in those spaces.
Matthew 5:14-16 [ESV] , “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden ,” is Ndavi’s favourite scripture. The scripture is a reminder that she was created for a purpose bigger than herself and that she has a responsibility to shine her light through the way she lives so that others may witness the glory of God. “ Those who experience me should experience God,” she boldly says.
Gaining a greater sense of self awareness has been one of the most rewarding parts of her Miss SA journey. “ When you are self-aware, you can maximise your strengths to achieve your goals and intentionally improve on your weaknesses. Self-awareness enables you to utilise your skills to empower not only yourself, but those around you as well,” she says.
It’s in life’s norms to have dreams but too often there seems to be a great distance between where one is and where one aspires to be. Ndavi says she has found that something that stops a lot of people from going for that big dream is because it seems too far away. She adds that it will seem too far away because people focus on the whole staircase instead of the one step in front of them. “ If you can just look at the step in front of you and conquer that and then the next, you will find yourself living in your dream…. the journey will beautifully unfold itself as you take those strides in the right direction.”
Since beginning her journey, the young woman has received an influx of support and has become the pride of her hometown. “ A dream like this really takes a village and I am so grateful for my village for showing up for me. I love you all. This one is for you, ” she concludes.
Lines are still open for voting. Get on to the Miss SA app and vote for Ndavi to be in the top 5. Voting closes on the 13th of August 2022.
