A Moment With Miss Namibia

She seems nervous and unsure of her posture during the preliminary rounds of the Miss Namibia pageant. Quickly recovering, she gives an honest and engaging interview which wins over even those who may have doubted she would make a good candidate for the country’s top pageant.

Steffi van Wyk makes it through to the top 12. The preliminary judges agree that she definitely possesses something special.

At the main event on Saturday, Steffi seems more sure of herself, confidently strutting the catwalk and charming all with her response to the question posed to her.

“I love my country,” she starts. Continuing, she says if she had the privilege of meeting Barack Obama, she would gift him a family trip to one of Namibia’s tranquil conservation reserves. After all she says “an experience is much better than any gift.”

Her response is enough to cement her growing popularity with the judges, and the crowd who cheer loudly.

Three days later, after her win has had a chance to settle a bit and she’s over the initial mayhem that comes with being named the most beautiful woman in the country, I meet up with Steffi at The Namibian’s offices.

She’s chic in all black. Skinny jeans, a chunky sweater and trendy peep-toe heels with her long hair tumbling down her back. She is the picture of understated elegance.

Steffi was born in Windhoek when her parents bought a farm some 60 km from Windhoek and they all moved there. “I was a very hyper-active child and loved sports.” The family later moved to Tsumeb and when Steffi was 14, she started high school at Jan Möhr Secondary School. Throughout school and during her time at two universities in South Africa, Steffi was an ardent athlete, competing in various sports codes. Sports definitely runs in her blood, with her Welwitschia star player brother Russel van Wyk being equally athletic. “Sports was a natural thing for my brother and I, we loved it so much and our parents were always supportive,” she says.

Before entering Miss Namibia, Steffi, who holds an honours degree in Sports Science, was employed on contract as a sports manager at her former high school. Her contract ends this month and she will use the time to focus solely on her duties as Miss Namibia.

Her passion for sports is not something she wishes to give up though, one of her focus points for the year of her reign will be sports development amongst the youth, which she hopes will offer them the same opportunities and benefits they did for her. “Firstly, sports taught me that it’s never a failure if you don’t succeed. It taught me to build character, perseverance and how to socialise.”

There’s more to this athletic beauty though. She prides herself on being very ambitious and having a strong work ethic. “I see everyone as an equal. No one is lower than me, no matter what they have or don’t have.”

When she’s not busy with work or in the gym, Steffi loves to wind down by enjoying the little things in life. “I love to cook and I make mean wraps. I don’t like cooking for myself though,” she chuckles. I broach the subject of the handsome hunk I spotted whilst stalking her Facebook page, but she dismisses it quickly. “We broke up a few months ago. I don’t intend on getting someone else right now as I want to focus on Miss Namibia.” She’s still a romantic at heart though and says watching sunsets is one of her favourite things to do.

Steffi says she’s ready for the journey that lies ahead and hopes to leave her mark. “I want to be remembered as someone who tried to bring change amongst the youth in Namibia.”

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