A Retreat minister who has made it through to the top 100 of the Mrs South Africa pageant wants her story to encourage others, especially women.
Shanon Webb, who is a mother, wife, business owner and minister of the Supernatural Church in Kensington, grew up in Lavender Hill and Steenberg and is hoping to take the crown in the competition.
She says the pageant is an opportunity to reach more people.
“It gives me the platform to not only reach people through the gospel but with life. People are going through different things, and they need someone that’s real and someone who’s been down that journey – someone to motivate, encourage and inspire them, and I feel that is what I would like to be for the people of South Africa and specifically young girls and women in Cape Town,” said Ms Webb.
Ms Webb had dreamed of taking part in the Miss South Africa pageant since childhood, but it never happened, and now she sees the Mrs South Africa pageant as a second chance to achieve that childhood dream and make a difference at the same time.
“There are real women in the Mrs SA pageant, women others can relate to. It’s not a beauty pageant, it’s a women-empowerment initiative,” said Ms Webb.
The mother of four tells of witnessing her own mother being abused and other hardships when she was growing up.
“I saw things a child wasn’t supposed to,” she said, describing how she had gone on to make the wrong friends, hang out with gangs, use drugs and end up in bad relationships. Then, at the age of 19, she fell pregnant. “It was then that I decided that I need to make drastic changes and gave myself over to teaching, empowering and being a voice for other young people through ministry,” she
said.
She believes her success in the Mrs South Africa pageant is a clarion call to others who feel their dreams aren’t worth fighting for.
“I am doing this for women, children and
men to show them that it doesn’t matter where they come from. If they have a dream, they
should pursue it. If I can, then they can,” said Ms Webb.
She thanked her “amazing” husband, Lester Webb, who has been one of her biggest supporters, as well as her family, spiritual leaders and everyone else who has played a role in her life.
The top-25 judging will take place in April
and Mrs SA will be crowned on Friday October
6.
