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Model Liyabona Mbembetshu successfully hosted the second annual Miss and Mr Deaf South Africa at Mayfair Casino Events Centre on September 16.
The glittering ceremony, meant exclusively for deaf contestants, was also held to mark the month of September which is set aside globally as Deaf Awareness Month.
Mbembetshu said that the pageant is aimed at promoting integration of the deaf community into society.
“With sign language officially becoming the 12th official language in South Africa, it means that the deaf community are normal people like us who happen to speak another language. Through the Mr and Miss Deaf pageant we are giving them a platform to showcase their talents and dispel the notion that they must be isolated because they cannot hear and speak our language,” said Mbembetshu.
She further expressed happiness at the growth of the pageant, adding that some of their contestants who took part in the inaugural contest last year have gone on to compete in bigger pageants with contestants who are not deaf.
She said that the idea of having a pageant dedicated to the deaf community was ignited through interactions with the deaf at Efata School for the Deaf and Blind in Mthatha.
“I have a deaf cousin myself, and I would normally visit her at Efata. She and her friends would often ask me to train them in modelling, and those interactions made me come up with the idea of a beauty pageant exclusively for the deaf community,” she said.
Mbembetshu has registered the Deaf Can non-profit organisation, which she uses as a vehicle to host the annual pageant.
This year’s Miss Deaf SA included Little Miss Deaf, pre-teen, teen, and senior categories, while Mr Deaf had only the senior category. The LGBT category was also introduced this year.
Winners walked away with cash prizes.
The event was made possible by sponsorship from Tyeks Security Services, Mayfair Casino, SME Models and Miss Dream Catchers.
