Coenie Kukkuk, John-Louis O’Neil and
Karin Sephton have resigned as Directors of Mr. Gay South Africa (Pty) Ltd.
with effect 11 February 2013.
Kukkuk who is also the Director:
Africa & Middle East of Mr. Gay World, will stay on in this position until
at least after Mr. Gay World 2013, which will be held in Antwerp, Belgium from
1 – 5 August 2013.
South Africa will be represented by
the current Mr. Gay South Africa™, Jason Rogers.
Frank Malaba will stay on as a
director. Frank hails from Johannesburg and is an actor and poet and was the
producer and presenter for Radio Outspoken. He has been involved for many years
as an LGBTI rights activist and has been one of the judges of Mr. GSA since its
inception in 2009 and also serving as a judge at Mr. Gay World 2012, as well as
being an MC with Cathy Specific of the 2011 Mr. GSA Grand Finale.
The new Directors are Emil Faber
and Ricus Wessels. Emil is an attorney and owner of well-known restaurant Melon
in Melville, Johannesburg, who was a judge of Mr. GSA during the 2012 breakaway
and a sponsor of Mr. Gay World in the same year. His husband, Ricus Wessels,
has also been part of the competition in the past years through sponsorships
and more. They have been ardent supporters of Mr. GSA through the years not
only as sponsors, but also as generous donors and supporters having also been
on the 2011 breakaway on the cruise to Mozambique.
Kukkuk said in Pretoria: “I am sad
to leave Mr. Gay South Africa™ after so many years and after having seen it grow from just an idea by
me, Juan Lerm and Cor van Rensburg to the successes the competition has
achieved so far. Circumstances and demands by my practice have however dictated
the terms. I would have had to neglect one or the other and that is not an
option. I wish Emil, Ricus and Frank the best for the future and they can count
on my continued support.”
O’Neil said: “I want to devote most
of my time to the Pink Loerie Mardi Gras & Arts Festival, and with the
“Lucky 13th” one coming up beginning of May 2013, I can assure you that it will
be a festival to remember. I will be in the audience at the Mr. GSA 2013/14
Grand Finale to support the new team.”
Both Kukkuk and O’Neil have also
cited health reasons, with both being due for surgery in the next month. The
company wishes them both a speedy recovery.
Emil Faber and Ricus Wessels, who
will take over as Director: Operations, said: “We wish to thank Coenie,
John-Louis and Karin for their devotion and work through the years. We have
acquired the services of Charl van den Berg, the first of the registered Mr.
GSA title holders and Mr. Gay World 2010, and hope that we can maintain the
high standard set by Coenie, John-Louis, Karin and their team. We are very
excited and eager to take on the challenge and to make our community proud of
the representative chosen.”
Any out-and-proud gay man who is a
South African citizen and between the ages of 18 and 40 may enter Mr. Gay South
Africa™. Possible entrants are encouraged to enter the
Mr. Mardi Gras Pink Loerie competition in Knysna in May, (entry form here: http://pinkloerie.co.za/wptest/wp350/?cat=17
) as from the inception of Mr. GSA in 2009, the top two at Pink Loerie have
qualified for Mr. GSA. Entries for Mr. GSA itself will open towards the
beginning of June 2013.
Mr. Gay South Africa™ is a registered and
trademarked competition founded in 2009 to present a professional,
upmarket competition for gay men in South Africa – a role model and a
noticeable representative of which the entire LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transsexual and intersex) community can be proud of.
Two previous titleholders have won the
internationally acclaimed Mr. Gay World competition, under which Mr. Gay South
Africa™ is licensed, namely Charl van den Berg in Oslo, Norway in 2010 and
Francois Nel in Manila, Philippines in 2011. The current Mr. Gay South Africa™,
Lance Weyer, was first runner-up when Mr. Gay World 2012 was hosted by
Johannesburg, South Africa in April 2012.
The competition has been hailed as the best
national competition worldwide for the past three years. Mr. Gay South Africa™ 2013/13
will be chosen at a glittering Grand Finale at the end of the year and will
represent South Africa at Mr. Gay World 2014.
THE NEW MR. GSA DIRECTORS, FROM L TO R EMIL FABER, FRANK MALABA AND RICUS WESSELS.
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