Itumeleng Desia Ratlhagane (31) is a Nurse, a gospel singer, and a model who wants to empower young women and encourage them to follow their dreams.
Growing up Itumeleng’s parents were tenacious Christians who always ensured that their children attended church every Sunday. “I practically grew up in Church and I was in the church choir, so I was exposed to gospel music from a tender age and I come from a vocally gifted family,” Ratlhagane said. Itumeleng released her debut single titled: This is what we do in December of 2020; the single is available to be purchased on all digital platforms.
While she was a child she had a low self-esteem and she didn’t feel beautiful which enormously affected how she interacted with her peers. “I want to be a sister, friend, and a role model to young girls that feel they aren’t good enough but I also want to encourage older women to break out of their own negative thoughts about themselves,” Itumeleng expressed. This is Itumeleng’s first pageant, although people around her constantly encouraged her to join pageants prior to this one, because of her beauty but she was never interested in taking part during that particular time. The Miss/Mrs. Mogul Inter-Africa is the first pageant that caught her eye. “When I saw what the Miss/Mrs. Mogul Inter-Africa stood for, which is for strong, beautiful, and confident women, I never looked back. I told myself this is the one for me,” Ratlhagane declared. Miss/Mrs.
Mogul Inter-Africa’s primary purpose is to empower women and help them to develop and display their leadership skills through charity work, but the pageant also focuses on mental health awareness.
“I entered this pageant to make a difference in my community at large through charity work, and to inspire people with the word of God more especially in these times we are living in. This pandemic is affecting people’s livelihoods and causing emotional stress, anxiety, and depression on people and their loved ones,” Itumeleng shared. She hopes that through the pageant she will be able to interact with families and give them hope with the little she has to offer them, but by doing this she hopes she will eliminate anxiety as she engages with them.
As a nurse, her greatest passion lies in working with pregnant women. Itumeleng has witnessed teenage girls coming into the maternity ward of Antenatal Care Clinic, which saddens her. “These young girls feel the need to find approval from other people and they end up finding information from the wrong sources, and that leads them to unplanned pregnancies,” Ratlhagane explained. What Itumeleng loves most about being a pageant girl is being able to make a difference, in someone’s life. “It’s so fulfilling and humbling to help and inspire people. I went from having a low self-esteem to having boldfaced confidence,” She proclaims.
If you feel that Itumeleng would make a great Miss/Mrs. Inter-Africa vote for her by SMSing: Desia Ratlhagane to 35959 and the SMSes cost R3.00 and you can vote as many times as possible. The voting lines close on 2 October 2021. You can visit the pageant’s page @ Migethanpageants on both Instagram and Facebook. You can also check Itumeleng’s social media platforms @ desiaratlhanganee on Instagram and @ Desia Ratlhagane on Facebook.
By Karabo Lekgwate
