MOMENTS WITH THE KING OF TSHWANE STEPHEN SIMBARASHE MUKHUMBI 

MOMENTS WITH THE KING OF TSHWANE STEPHEN SIMBARASHE MUKHUMBI 

Tshwane’s coronation was successfully held few months ago,with Stephen Simbarashe Mukumbi crowned as the King of the season.Simbarashe shares with us how brotherhood  played a huge role during Mister Tshwane 2022.We also get to know much about his plans as Mister Tshwane.

Q. Kindly introduce yourself?A. My name is Stephen Simbarashe Mukumbi. I am 20 years old. 2022 has been a year filled with great blessings for me. I am the newly crowned Mr Tshwane 2022. 

Q. What pushed you to contest for the biggest male model pageant in Tshwane?A.What pushed me was not my sole determination to participate in the pageant alone, Mr Mahlangu, my mentor and “my leader” as i refer to him spotted me in a pageant where i was crowned as the 1st Prince, he saw the potential in me and advised me to take part in Mr Tshwane Regions 2022. The pageant itself is so big that those around me encouraged me to participate and utilize the opportunity that i was given. Another thing that pushed me was my eagerness to participate in a competition that was more challenging than the previous one i had participated in. 

Q.What was your biggest obstacle  and how did it workout to your advantage during the pageant?A.My biggest obstacle was having to figure out how i was going to materialize the idea i had about my community project. It involved the Municipality amongst other things. Setting up meetings with people in authority was a challenge on it’s own. Luckily, i had a crew that was very supportive and they believed in the idea as they also made it theirs. With their support i managed to visit the Municipality, had meetings with various organizations and eventually the idea came to life. The project was based on four pillars: The Young, The Youth, The Elderly and The Community! The contribution that my team and i gave on this project can be seen on Mr and Miss Tshwane Regions Facebook page. 

Q.From the other contestants, who or what did you learnt about them?A.I learned a lot from relatively all contestants. From others it wasn’t direct learning, i was just taking notes on how they handle things from a distance. Though i would like to appreciate Lazarus, Tshwarelo, Puleng and Siya. On the night of the final event, it was so hectic but i learned that these individuals are selfless. We helped each other as if we had forgotten that at the end of it, it was a competition.

Q.If given an opportunity to describe the event which one would you use?A.The event was one which exposed the true character of many individuals. 

Q.Your roots are from Zimbabwe, what do you love about Zimbabwe and South Africa?A.Honestly, i am open about the fact that i am Zimbabwean, I am proud of it too, but i have spent most of my years living in South Africa to an extent that South African history has become a huge part of me. I still have so much to learn about my home country so it is a bit of a challenge for me to pin point exactly what i love about my home country because my choices are really narrowed as of this moment. Though, one thing i really do appreciate is my family in Zimbabwe. I have family members ranging from siblings to cousins and other extended family members who give me support to an extent that i do not feel the distance between myself and them! 

Q.When given an opportunity to meet any African leader whom will it be?A.When talking about African leaders it’s very hard not to involve politicians, however, there are individuals who aren’t into politics but are having a great impact throughout Africa such as Vusi Thembekwayo. I really look up to him and i would really like to meet him. I am fascinated by how he tries to make sure that our youth take charge of their lives and dominate the economical industry. 

Q.What issue would  you like to discuss with him ?A.If given the opportunity to meet with him, i would want to know about his opinion when it comes to foreign nationals being treated the same as South African citizens. 

Q.As the winner  of Mister Tshwane what is next for you?A.The upcoming few years will be very demanding for me. My plans for next year are mostly limited to academics. Though, there are other international pageants that i am planning to take part in. 

Q.Are you a day or morning person and why ?A.I am actually an evening person. I am more progressive in a silent environment. Too much noise can pose as a distraction especially if what i am doing requires my focus.