A Summer Greens woman has hopes of clinching the title of Mrs Universe SA and using the coveted crown to put the spotlight on domestic violence.
Last month Feerouza Kruger, 37, was selected as a finalist in this year’s Mrs Universe SA — a pageant for married and divorced women.
An accountant by profession, Ms Kruger says she was drawn to the pageant because contestants raise awareness and funds for charities assisting victims of domestic abuse and violence.
Violence against women, she says, is a “pet hate” because she encounters it often as a Summer Greens Neighbourhood Watch member.
Matla A Bana – A Voice Against Child Abuse is the beneficiary charity she has chosen during her campaign for the Mrs Universe SA title.
“With the sash comes a bit of power. I would like the opportunity to have that platform so I can reach the masses,” she says.
A self-professed “plain Jane”, she says the pageant has pushed her out of her comfort zone. Owning little make-up and a very few pairs of high heels, Ms Kruger says she has some “practising to do”, her main worry is getting sponsorships for the pageant – as part of the pre-pageant scoring, she needs to raise a total of R40 000, the first R5 000 of that by Wednesday April 10.
Apart from being on the executive committee of the neighbourhood watch, Ms Kruger, a mother of two daughters, is on the board of St Luke’s Hospice as treasurer and is a member of Woodbridge Primary School’s school governing body.
Ms Kruger plans on walking down the runway in a burkini for the swimsuit section of the pageant at the grand finale. A burkini is a swimsuit that covers the whole body except the face, the hands and the feet.
“I want to show the world modesty can also be beautiful,” she says.
According to Anel de Swardt, the director of Commonwealth Pageants South Africa, there are eight pageant finalists and that the grand finale will take place in Johannesburg in August. The winner of Mrs Universe SA will represent South Africa at Mrs Universe 2019.
Follow Ms Kruger’s journey as a pageant finalist on her Facebook page Feerouza Kruger – Mrs Universe SA 2019 Finalist For more information about the pageant go to www.sacommonwealth
pageants.co.za For more information about Matla A Bana visit www.matlaabana.co.za