Otjiwarongo’s jewel, Steffi van Wyk

When Steffi van Wyk was announced Miss Namibia 2015 during a glamorous ceremony last week, it marked a refreshingly new era of embracing all beauty. While her beauty and grace on the runway is undeniable, it’s her “small town” girl spirit and unconventional personality and interest that has seen her creep into the hearts of Namibians the last few days. Steffi, who is one of two kids, describes her older brother Russell Van Wyk as her best friend, and as such, she grew up playing with her brother and his friends. Her brother currently plays for the national rugby team. She reveals that she and her brother always had an interest in sports. “He always wanted to play rugby and I wanted to be a top athlete. He just always inspired me with his determination and I think I wanted to be just like him,” she says as her face lights up. Her family later moved to Tsumeb where she lived for three years, before she moved to Windhoek where she finished high school. While in Windhoek, the sporty girl played hockey and took part in athletics. Finding her own sporty spot An aspiring sports star herself, Steffi continued to draw inspiration from her older brother whose rugby dreams were unfolding into reality before her eyes and in 2012, she broke the 100 m hurdles national record set more than ten years before. Steffi, who graduated with a degree in Sports Science, also tried her hand at rugby while in South Africa. She had planned to compete in the Indoors Athletic Championships next year, but with being crowned Miss Namibia, her plans have changed. After returning from South Africa, she started working at a local school, and helping to develop sports. “The learners from my school have been so supportive. They came with a banner with my name on and even distributed flyers encouraging other learners to vote for me. I am so grateful for their support,” she said. Our children should be allowed to be children Steffi spoke passionately about her childhood in the small Otjiwarongo town. “Growing up there was a lot of playing and being active, and I think that is good for a child. The digital age has threatened childhood. Kids are too willing to sit and play PlayStation as opposed to being active,” she says. While saying she embraces social media and all the benefits that come with the digital age, she still believes there is a need to make sure “every child gets to be a child”. Sports need to be decentralised Recognising that with the Miss Namibia title come influence, Steffi says that she would like not only to advocate for the decentralisation of sports activities, but also advocate for children in high school and secondary school to get a chance at sports glory, regardless of where they come from. “There is a lack of exposure. “We have so much talent all over Namibia, and because of this lack of exposure, our children are losing interest in sports and that’s dangerous,” she says. She explains that while she is passionate about sports, it won’t be her sole focus. “My focus is definitely the youth. I am ready to work towards eliminating mediocrity and helping our young people dream big and also get them towards being willing to fight for their dreams,” she adds. Define your own beauty Following Serena Williams’ Wimbledon win earlier this year, social media was abuzz with many malicious attacks about her body not being feminine enough. We asked Steffi her opinion about the perception that women who do sports are too mascular and as such “not beautiful”. “It would be sad for any women to stop doing sports just because some believe they don’t look feminine enough. Beauty has no specific form. I think all young girls should be encouraged to embrace their bodies, and instead of criticising, everyone, regardless of whether they have muscles or not, should be able to love themselves. Everyone should feel beautiful,” she says. As she leaves our Eros offices, Steffi smiles and says: “I am happy to be an ambassador for my country and really hope that I can work for and with my people.” Windhoek Gordon Joseph