• Siyabonga Ngwenya, 27, runs Msogwaba Oak Modelling Agency in rural Mpumalanga, offering free training to almost 400 children since 2019.

• Ngwenya started the agency after a pageant never paid the prizes he was promised, and funding remains his biggest challenge.

Publish time: 2026-09-30 16:55

Siyabonga Ngwenya never received the prizes he was promised at a pageant. Nearly a decade later, he has built a free modelling agency that has trained almost 400 children in his own village.

Ngwenya, 27, is from Msogwaba, a rural village in Pienaar, Mpumalanga. He founded the Msogwaba Oak Modelling Agency, known as MSOK, in 2019, at the age of 20.

“That experience made me want to start something where I could teach others about the modelling industry and make sure what happened to me does not happen to other kids,” he said.

The agency is free to join, because Ngwenya knows many parents in his community cannot afford modelling fees. He often uses his own money to help contestants, and works part time as a tailor, sometimes making dresses for the young models himself.

Three people help him run the agency, two young women and a young man. One of them, Mbali Nkosi, is a former MSOK model who has returned to help train others.

Ngwenya has also built his own pageant platforms. Mr and Mrs Kasi to Kasi is open to contestants from across the province. Miss Beauty Msogwaba focuses on teenage girls from the village, aiming to build their confidence and help them become role models in their community. Mr and Mrs High School Pienaar gives school learners a chance to take part.

“The agency is open to both boys and girls, but most of the young people who join are girls. Only a few boys show interest in modelling and pageants, but I hope that will change as more young people in the community become exposed to the industry,” Ngwenya said.

The training goes beyond modelling. Young people are also taught acting, cheerleading and gumboot dancing, alongside confidence, posture, discipline and a sense of purpose.

Ngwenya describes the agency as acting like a mother to its models, training and mentoring them before helping them find bigger pageants and other opportunities.

Since starting the agency, Ngwenya has hosted four pageants. Funding remains his biggest challenge, so tickets are sold for less than R50 to raise money while keeping events affordable for the community. He says having people attend and support the contestants also helps build their confidence.

In 2025, the agency donated school uniforms and sanitary pads to two schools, paying for the items himself.

“They only see them on television and don’t understand they can also do that,” he said. Ngwenya believes a lack of exposure is one of the biggest challenges facing young people in the area.

Ngwenya has stood on the other side of the stage too. In 2023, he was a finalist in Mr Mpumalanga and finished in the top five. He did not win, but says the experience taught him leadership skills he now passes on to the children he trains.

Lack of funding has also made it difficult for Ngwenya to find a proper training space. He has been allowed to use Yedvwa Primary School in Msogwaba for practice sessions, but is still working towards a permanent venue.

Ngwenya says more funding would let him host more events, reach more children and expand what the agency offers. His long term goal is to turn MSOK into a leading fashion and modelling agency in South Africa.

“Knowing that I have started something that is purposeful and is serving the community keeps me going every day,” he said.