26-year-old-‘ TV personality Minnie Dlamini has pulled a shocker by putting her money where her mouth is and making fees fall for a number of students.
The presenter of Soccer-Zone on SABC 1 has pledged to pay varsity fees for at least 29 female students this year alone in order to empower young women.
Yesterday Dlamini told Sowetan on the phone: “‘I d like to keep the identity of my girls private. The reason that I do this is because I care and they need the help. I want to help them. This is not a publicity stunt. I protect them because I wouldn’t want to strip them of their dignity while helping.”
She would not disclose the funding model or how it worked.
Dlamini said in an SMS: “I opened the foundation because I wanted to use my platform for good…. I feel that education is the most important thing that someone can’t take away from you and it equips you to uplift those around you.”
Dlamini is also up for a Top Empowered Media Personality award at the fourth annual Oliver Empowerment Award for her philanthropic work.
She is in the running alongside the likes of Bonang Matheba, Katlego Maboe, Basetsana Kumalo and Poppy Ntshongwana.
“‘I m really excited about the nomination. The category is diverse and I’m honoured to be among such esteemed and accomplished individuals,” she said.
Minnie Dlamini earned the moniker, after she was culturally re-introduced to her community as a woman of virtue at her KwaZulu-Natal home early last year. She underwent ‘umhlonyane’ a traditional Zulu ceremony to celebrate her womanhood and to proclaim that she had looked after herself well and had not had a child out of wedlock.
The TV presenter was blasted by her critics who said uMhlonyane is done for a young n girl when she reaches puberty, to teach and advise her about womanhood and what Minnie’s family did was actually supposed to be uMemulo.
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Since then,however the moniker has stuck like glue.
Source:Sowetan
