By Mpheni Tshivhase
- Student Pebetse Malekana combines civil engineering with beauty pageants to empower women and help vulnerable young girls in Johannesburg South.
- Pebetse Malekana plans a Youth Day food and sanitary pad drive at the Ladies of Hope shelter for Ennerdale girls.
Scrolla is celebrating Youth Day by sharing the stories of youth doing good across the country.
Pebetse Malekana is 20 years old and lives between two strikingly different worlds. She juggles the glittering spotlight of beauty pageants with the precise, demanding blueprint of civil engineering.
Malekana comes from Sekhukhune in Limpopo but now lives in Ennerdale, Johannesburg South. She is in her final year of civil engineering studies and has a six year journey in pageantry.
She says pageantry is all lights, crowns and stage confidence. It is a world of cameras, heels and polished poise where every step is performance and presence.
Through her platform, she fights for financial literacy, skills development and empowerment for women and gender based violence (GBV) survivors. She says economic independence is key to breaking cycles of dependency and abuse.
“Pageantry taught me confidence and that mindset is everything,” Malekana said. “Many young people feel defeated before they even begin.”
But she is also grounded in the structured discipline of engineering, where ideas must stand the test of physics, not applause. She says engineering builds nations quietly, one calculation at a time.
Malekana compares this to the public stage of pageantry where voices are amplified instantly. She warns that the unregulated pageant industry leaves young girls exposed to exploitation.
Beyond both worlds, Malekana plans a Youth Day food and sanitary pad drive at the Ladies of Hope shelter in Ennerdale. The drive focuses on dignity and support for vulnerable young girls.
On politics, Malekana says South Africa needs young leaders with integrity and vision. “We don’t lack skills, we lack opportunities,” she said.
Despite the contrasts in her life, Malekana says both worlds have shaped her discipline, purpose and voice. She credits her family, church and community for keeping her grounded as she continues building bridges in society and in steel and concrete.
Pictured above: Pebetse Malekana balances beauty pageants and civil engineering.
Image source: Supplied
