The Dee M Fashion Promotions Mrs Eastern Cape 2023 pageant was held at Hudson Park High School’s Gibson Kente Theatre on Saturday July 1, where Caroline Voke was announced as the overall winner. Tammy De Witt was announced as the runner-up and Robyn-Lee Senekal was placed in third position.
The pageant was hosted by Dee M Fashion Promotions and despite having been on hiatus since 2019, it proved to be a great success.
Deryn Vogel, organiser of the event, said the pageant was a great opportunity for women to showcase their beauty and potential.
“The ladies were absolutely beautiful. This was an opportunity for women to realise their maximum potential.
“It gave them a chance to experience something new. We tried to make sure that all the prizes were things that every woman might want to have.
“Every woman got to walk away with something special,” Vogel said.
Some of the prizes included a getaway for two at a lodge, treatments, clothing, makeup and a photo shoot.
One of the judges, Cheryl Larsen, said the standard for the pageant was very high this year and all the women put their best foot forward.
“These ladies aren’t models, they work average, everyday jobs just like us. There were six finalists and they had to appear in front of more than 200 people. That requires a high level of confidence, something the winner had plenty of. She was beautiful, spoke with confidence and she had a sparkle about her,” Larsen said.
Larsen, along with fellow judges Kelly Ann Gower and Jessica Sanders, chose the winner based on presentation, eloquence and charisma.
The 2019 pageant winner, Jo Jackson, said entering the Mrs Eastern Cape pageant had been the best decision she could have taken for herself.
“Since winning this title in 2019, I have gone on to achieve so much more because I no longer have the fear of failure,” said Jackson, who went on to enter the Mrs SA pageant, where she won Mrs Public Choice.
“My words to the new queen are, keep stepping out of that comfort zone and don’t let fear get in your way,” she said.
Voke has been married for five years and has two daughters, aged three and nine months. She says she entered the pageant as a way to be a role model to her daughters and an inspiration to other mothers.
“I feel privileged to have won amongst all the other ladies who took the opportunity to step outside of their comfort zone and take on this challenge.
“As a mom of two, with a busy career, I haven’t let my mind run to the possibilities of what winning this title could lead to. You can’t pour into the cups that surround you if yours is empty,” Voke said.
