Anthony Mlojwa is a 25-year-old Mathematics teacher from Pella in Rustenburg in the North West province. In addition to being a teacher, Anthony is a male model who competes in pageants under the name 'Anthony Gorgeous' on stage.
Anthony says he was motivated to compete in male pageants by watching an actor on the Telemundo TV station named José Luis Reséndez Santos. José is a Mexican actor and model who won the national male contest El Modelo México and went on to represent his country in Mister World 2003.
He entered his first pageant in 2014 and got placement in competitions over the first six years of his career when he won his first pageant in 2020. "What makes me different from other people is that I could have given up because of not being able to be placed in pageants within those six years, but I never did. Motivation made me more willing to transform and be uncomfortable for growth," Anthony added.
Anthony says that the most challenging aspect of his journey is that physical appearance plays a significant role in the field of male pageants. Pageants want a marketable face, and Anthony says he has never been considered a model with flawless skin, body, and height. As a result, he has consistently relied on the question-and-answer segment to endear himself to the panel of judges and the public. "My height is something that I cannot change, but my goal has always been to change the typical model look stigma," he added.
Anthony has competed in different pageant competitions, including those in which he was awarded the titles of Mr Mahikeng 2020 and Mr Prime South Africa 2022. His message to the world is not to let the failure to fulfil goals you have set for yourself demotivate you; instead, you should focus on what lies ahead for you. He says his motivation comes from music and his interest in leaping and acting.
Anthony recently represented South Africa in the Mr Altitude 2023 pageant competition, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand. He was awarded the title of Mr Altitude 4th Runner-Up at the end of the tournament. He says this is his most outstanding achievement, given that not all pageantry models can participate worldwide in their respective categories.
Anthony has developed a charitable organization that will soon be registered under the name "The Superhuman Foundation" as a way for him to give back to the community in which he lives. Learners, mainly those in high schools, are the focus of the organization's efforts to foster and enhance pageantry abilities. According to him, the mission is to increase awareness of pageantry in schools and establish worldwide excellence models.
His words of wisdom to young people are that they should be aware of what it is that truly motivates them, that they should use that motivation as a source of drive to go where they want to go, and that they should be aware that difficult times are unavoidable but that the most important thing is to be true to who they are.
