BY NOXOLO DLAMINI
PIGG’S PEAK— Long before the lights come on, the music starts and a new beauty queen is crowned, there is a voice responsible for keeping the audience engaged, calming nervous contestants and ensuring the programme flows.
For nearly a decade, that voice at the Miss Pigg’s Peak Pageant has belonged to Pigg’s Peak-born Nokwazi Masimula, whose passion for entertainment and empowering young women has steadily transformed her from a local pageant host into a recognised figure on the regional stage.
Masimula, who hails from Luhlangotsini, began hosting the Miss Pigg’s Peak Pageant in 2016. What started as an opportunity to participate in a local entertainment event has developed into a journey of personal growth, mentorship and contribution to Eswatini’s expanding creative industry.
Her years behind the microphone recently opened another major door when she was entrusted with hosting the Miss Hhohho Pageant in August, taking her experience beyond Pigg’s Peak and onto a regional platform.
For Masimula, the opportunity represented much more than another hosting assignment. It was recognition of almost 10 years spent learning how to command a stage, work with contestants, understand audiences and remain composed when live events take unexpected turns.
“After many years of hosting Miss Pigg’s Peak, receiving the opportunity to step onto a regional platform felt like recognition of the work and experience I have built over the years,” she said.
MORE THAN BEAUTY AND CROWNS
While pageants are often associated with glamorous dresses, crowns, photographs and celebrations, Masimula believes their greatest value lies in what happens to contestants during the journey.
Over the years, she has watched young women walk onto the stage nervous and uncertain, only to gradually develop the confidence to speak before audiences, demonstrate their talents and represent their communities.
“I saw pageantry as more than just a beauty competition. I saw it as a platform where young women could build confidence, discover their abilities and represent their community with pride,” she said.
It is this transformation, Masimula says, that has kept her passionate about pageantry.
She believes the confidence, communication skills, discipline and leadership experience young women gain through competitions can continue benefiting them long after the applause has faded.
“For me, pageantry is much bigger than a crown or a title. It is about giving young women a platform to discover themselves, develop confidence and understand that their voices matter,” she said.
Her own journey has followed a similar path.
Masimula said years of hosting have sharpened her communication skills, strengthened her confidence and taught her how to engage audiences from different backgrounds.
She has also mastered one of the biggest challenges of live entertainment — remaining calm when something does not go according to plan.
To her, professional hosting is not simply about holding a microphone and reading a programme.
A host must understand the event, know when to lift the energy of the audience, support contestants, communicate with organisers and respond quickly when schedules change.
Preparation, teamwork and adaptability, she said, have become central to how she approaches every assignment.
PIGG’S PEAK EXPERIENCE OPENS REGIONAL DOOR
Hosting Miss Hhohho brought a different level of responsibility.
Instead of working mainly with contestants and stakeholders from Pigg’s Peak, Masimula found herself engaging participants from across the Hhohho Region and working with a broader production team.
However, the years spent hosting Miss Pigg’s Peak had prepared her for the challenge.
Her move from a town-based pageant to a regional competition also illustrates how community platforms can become important stepping stones for local creatives seeking bigger opportunities.
Masimula believes Pigg’s Peak and Hhohho have significant untapped creative talent which could grow further through stronger cooperation between businesses, pageant organisers, artists, designers, photographers, media practitioners and other professionals.
Pageantry, she explained, does not exist in isolation.
Behind every successful pageant are fashion designers, makeup artists, musicians, photographers, videographers, event organisers, models, presenters, decorators, businesses and media professionals.
That makes the sector capable of supporting far more people than those competing on stage.
Masimula believes stronger investment and partnerships could help pageants become economic and skills-development platforms, while also creating work and exposure for young creatives.
Successful events could also attract visitors, promote towns such as Pigg’s Peak and contribute to the growth of entertainment and local tourism.
INVESTMENT BEYOND CROWNING NIGHT
Looking to the future, Masimula would like to see pageantry increasingly recognised as a platform for mentorship, skills development, career opportunities, sponsorship and professional exposure.
She believes support should extend beyond contestants to the many people working behind the scenes.
Hosts, designers, photographers, makeup artists, event organisers, models, musicians and other creatives, she said, all require opportunities to grow their careers.
Masimula also stressed that contestants should not measure their success only by whether they walk away with a crown.
“The real value is what you do with the platform afterwards,” she said.
Her advice to young women entering pageants is to use the experience to build confidence, form meaningful networks, learn new skills and discover what they are capable of achieving.
For Masimula, some of the most powerful memories of the past decade have not necessarily been the crowning moments, but the quieter transformations — seeing contestants overcome fear, discover their voices and walk away more confident than when they arrived.
She also credits her journey to the people and institutions that have worked alongside her.
Masimula thanked organisers, contestants, businesses, sponsors, creatives, photographers, designers, artists, media practitioners and members of the community who have supported the pageants and trusted her behind the microphone.
She emphasised that no successful event is built by one person.
It takes teamwork, communication and people willing to believe in a shared vision.
Almost 10 years after she first stepped onto the Miss Pigg’s Peak stage as host, Masimula is now looking ahead to bigger platforms while remaining committed to the purpose that first attracted her to pageantry — helping young women recognise their potential.
For the Luhlangotsini-born host, reaching the regional stage is therefore not the end of the story.
It may only be the beginning of a much bigger chapter.
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(Courtesy Pic)
