By By Alulutho Guzana
Images supplied by Sesethu Doko
It is a sunny Monday just after 1.10pm. Sesethu Doko approaches with her head held high. She graciously walks towards my direction outside the D Labs basement at the University of Johannesburg’s Auckland Park Kingsway Campus.
The 19-year-old model is looking effortlessly gorgeous in a red jumpsuit with a black blazer and heels. She is accessorised by a stylish black and white bag. The model grew up in a small town of Mount Ayliff in the Eastern Cape where she lived with her aunt, grandmother and two siblings. During this time, her mother had left for employment in Johannesburg.
“My grandmother is one of the strongest influencers in my life alongside my mother because [they] taught me the basic life lessons and responsibilities while growing up,” Doko smiles as she recalls that her grandmother treated her and her siblings with tenderness.
If you have not had the opportunity to be a gogo’s baby, in the words of Doko, grandmothers pamper you with so much love. Actually, they offer a stable and safe upbringing. Period.
Doko attended her formative education in Mount Ayliff and later moved to Kokstad in KwaZulu-Natal to attend Carl Malcomess High School. This is where she enrolled for Dramatic Arts because she always wanted a career in the entertainment industry.
But she had no idea of her passion yet.
Baby steps into modelling
While studying in Kokstad, mother planted an idea of modelling in Doko’s mind. “Sesethu you have a nice body. I think if you can just do modelling, it can suit you very much,” her mother lured her. “And I agreed.”
Doko’s mother wasted no time when it came to finding her daughter a modelling tutor. She learned basic skills such as poses and how to walk. Doko says her mother has been a pillar of her strength.
“She has always supported me [and she] still supports me,” she says. “I am very grateful [for my mother] because some parents when their daughters want to do modelling, they’d [discourage their daughters that] modeling is a waste of money or there is no money in that career.”
Her mother’s support has been extraordinary. She went as far as finding her daughter an agency based in Durban. “I signed a 12-month contract with FCB agency; they had to get me jobs, but they did not,” Doko explains. Even though the agency company failed to honour the agreement, they, nevertheless, created a portfolio, polished and advanced her modelling skills.
When the contract ended, Doko opted to be a freelance model. She has entered several beauty pageant competitions. Some of these include Miss Winter Kokstad, Miss Neo Vintage, Miss Incredible, Miss Lusikisiki and Face of Mount Alyiff.
On 5 December last year, she won the Face of Mount Ayliff. “My proudest accomplishment so far is that I became a queen – I won the Face of Mount Ayliff,” she says and outlines that she has been working very hard for this milestone.
Juggling school and modelling
The Bachelor of Arts student in the Humanities highlights that it is very difficult juggling school and modelling. When she feels sluggish, words of her former Dramatic Arts teacher echoes: “I know you are passionate about modelling, but this time around if you want to graduate and get your degree, put your school work first,” Doko says these words keep her elevated.
And besides, if she wants to be Miss South Africa, she has to be educated. She is currently a Miss Teen South Africa finalist. If you want to help Doko to become Miss Teen South Africa, you can vote via SMS. The code is TSA813.
And of course, it is not free, but you will see the cost of the SMS later.
“I feel so good being a finalist especially when I am wearing my sash. I love the SA at the end of my sash. It is a big thing for me to represent South Africa,” she says with pride, adding that the finals will be held in Pretoria on 8 October 2022.
Doko has her eyes set for the bigger prize – to eventually become Miss South Africa.
Youth Chronicle 