Mammone Aphiri Has Won Women Difference Maker Award

Mammone Aphiri Has Won Women Difference Maker Award

• April 28, 2024

Mammone Aphiri: The Reigning Ms Plus Intercontinental

I was born on the 30th of September 1968 and I grew up in a small township called Montshiwa located in Mafikeng. I am the second child in the family of six, a widow and a mother of two boys and two girls.

I work as an administrator under Air Quality & Regulation Services for the Bojanala Platinum District of Rustenburg.

Education has always been important to me. This is a value instilled in me by my parents and one I have passed down to all my children. I have several academic achievements which I hold dear to my heart and am most proud of. These include: a post graduate diploma in Public Management from the University of North West, a higher diploma in Human Resources from Southern Business School, Certificate in Work Study from University of South Africa and a certificate in job evaluation from 21st Century.

From the tender age of eight years, pageantry had been a strong passion of mine. I received my first crown in 1982 as Miss Teenage in the then Bophuthatswana Government. In 2019, I joined the Miss South Africa Plus World, a pageant system which caters for plus size women across South Africa. In 2020 I was crowned the first Ms Plus Intercontinental South Africa; and this title gave me the opportunity to represent my home country, South Africa, at the Miss Plus World Pageant 2022 in Houston, Texas. At this international stage I came 3rd Runner Up and received an award for the best Ms Plus Intercontinental Evening Dress 2022! This was a proud moment for me and I knew that it was only the beginning.

I have always believed that one should never give up on their dreams and desires. My dream to wear an international crown was so strong that in 2023 I re-entered the Miss Plus World Pageant competition. On the faithful day of 19 August 2023 I saw my dreams and prayers being answered as I was announced as the winner of my division in our virtual pageant and the new reigning queen of Ms Plus Intercontinental. My blessings and hard work did not just end there. I was also awarded:

• Ms Plus Intercontinental Best Preliminary Interview With The Judges 2023,
• Ms Plus Intercontinental Best High Tea Outfit 2023,
• Ms Plus Intercontinental Best Evening Gown 2023,
• Ms Plus Intercontinental People's Choice 2023

Underpinning my pageantry journey isn't just to tick off lines from my bucket list. It is all carried by my deep desire to help those around me. From the start of my journey, my platform has always been around humanitarian efforts. My platform is Touching Lives and I live by a quote that says "Giving is an assignment of God, and it has to be done cheerfully". For me, touching the lives of those in circumstances of need is an act of love; echored by my favourite colour - Red - which symbolises love, sacrifice, and warmth.

In the last five years, I have done humanitarian work to the value of more than five hundred thousand rands(R 5 00,000.00 ) in communities throughout South Africa. These include:

• Back To School drives,
• Food parcels,
• Sanitary Pads drives,
• IInitiatives aimed at restorationing the dignity of the boy child,
• Caring for the physically challenged,
• Empowerment projects, and
• Caring for the elderly.

Some of my treasured highlights include;

• My support of a group of women running a local vegetable garden by donating gardening tools and startup seeds.With this single garden the ladies earn a living, use the produce to feed their families and create jobs.

• I did humanitarian work during the early years of the COVID19 pandemic by donating food parcels, sanitisers and protective masks to those that needed them the most.

Through my platform I have received several awards and positions. I have been awarded the following:

• Women in Community & Lifetime Achiever Women in Community 2021 by Women's Lifestyle Network,
• Women of Worth Influencer 2023 by Thuba Pelo Mosadi,
• Brand Ambassador of Play Your Part powered by Brand South Africa, the official marketing agency of South Africa, and
• An Ambassador for book Angel, which is an NGO in the United States of America.

I am the National Director of Miss Stellar World South Africa. The vision of Miss Stellar World South Africa pageant is to showcase the diversity, creativity, leadership, style, grace and beauty of women across South Africa. The Miss Stellar World South Africa pageant system gives young ladies from various provinces in South Africa the opportunity to compete and stand a chance to represent our country on an international platform.

As the pageant director, I have produced an international queen, the reigning Miss Stellar World, Keitumetse Mere. Our second annual event was held on the 6th April 2024 and we have successfully crowned three queens who will compete in 2025 with other queens across the globe in Georgia USA, Atlanta. I truly believe that our beautiful country of South Africa is well represented!

As the reigning Ms Plus Intercontinental, I have attended a virtual session for Food Forum, which was organised by foreign policy in New York on 20 September 2023

18 and 19 October I was a virtual delegate in a conference powered by Standard Bank of South Africa acknowledging women that lead in Africa. Women who are able to bring change.

25 October 2023, I attended Her Power Virtual program powered by Federal Policy in the United States of America. Christmas is a time of giving. I have celebrated the 2023 Christmas party with hundred and ten Orphans at Unathi Community Orphans Home and donated Christmas Hampers to ten families at the Ministry of the Holy Spirit. 27 March 2024 distributed Easter eggs to TWINKLE STAR Creche 06 April 2024 hosted the 2nd annual Miss Stellar World South Africa pageant and donated a gift voucher to Siyathokoza Organization, which is an NGO that provides shelter to 450 children who are mostly orphans.

I would like to thank WOMEN ICON, the No.1 Women LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE AWARDS powered by TIMES WOMEN for recognising my work with the Difference Maker Award on a global level. I am truly humbled and believe that this award will motivate and inspire other women across the globe that through WOMEN ICON it is possible to receive international recognition.

I am looking forward to working with other women across the globe who are making a difference in their communities.

As a Christian, I know that my platform has chosen me because it is an assignment from God.

My social media handles are:

• Mammone Ascentia Aphiri
• Miss Stellar World South Africa
• The Reigning Ms. Plus Intercontinental