I am 27 years old, and am honoured to have been selected as a semi-finalist for the Mr. South Africa 2010 pageant. I am a man who believes that the Universe gives us what we ask for; that our personal realities are merely an outcome of the attitudes we project as individuals.
All too often, we complain about ongoing issues surrounding us, be they environmental, humanitarian or political. I am proud to say that my parents raised me in a home filled with love, good morals and principles, one of these being the well-known saying that “charity starts at home”. What we need to realize as a nation is that our communities in general are extensions of our homes, and that in order to see the positivity we seek in our own lives, we need to become actively involved in painting over the cracks where necessary. We have come a long way as South Africans, but there is still more work to be done in ensuring a brighter future for our children. We must teach them the all-important lesson that they are the writers of the future they hold for themselves as individuals, as future parents, teachers and proud torchbearers of Ubuntu in this, our Rainbow Nation.
What has made the experience of being a Mr. South Africa Semi-finalist so positive for me thus far is having discovered that one individual can indeed make a notable contribution to the well-being of the broader community through even the simplest of selfless offerings.
I recently heard a hair – raising story about the heinous practice of child pornography uploaded on the internet, and was simply speechless. Being engaged and a “stepfather” myself, I feel that we need to pull in the reigns here, as our children are soft targets in our absence. Statistically, street children are the most vulnerable victims of exploitation and victimization, along with women who are often unable to protect themselves against harassment, physical- and sexual abuse by their male counterparts. If I were to hold the title as Mr. South Africa, my primary focus would be on dealing with crimes against women and children – a problem area all too often overlooked by the Law.
Who is Clayton Heroldt anyway....?
I describe myself as a down to earth, peaceful and fun loving guy with a great love of the outdoors. I enjoy hiking, swimming, long walks on the beach with my fiancé, my daughter and our two dogs. I also enjoy wildlife and am an animal activist at heart. A healthy body is definitely a healthy mind and exercise is an essential part of my daily routine.
I am an actor and will forever be an artist at heart. I am passionate about theatre, poetry and films – French art films in particular (One of my own poems ‘Om Jou to Kan Lief He’ was published in the 2006 anthology, ‘Venturing Vistas’). In 2006, I attained my Bachelors Degree in Live Performance from AFDA Film School in Cape Town and have embraced and enjoyed every moment in the industry since then.
My family on my mothers side has always been strongly associated with the arts. My grandmother was a famous Coloratura (a lyric soprano who specializes in coloratura vocal music) who shared her operatic training with local diva Mimi Coetzee. I loved Drama at school and Grade 10 proved to be an interesting year for me as I was chosen as Best Actor in both my school’s major production and Inter-House-One-Act play. During my matric year I was contacted by my casting agent to body-double for Vinnie Jones in a feature film. Opportunities grew from there and as they say in the classics … the rest is history.
By far the most gratifying and enjoyable highlight of my acting career thus far was playing the role of ‘Rocky’ in last years Victory Theatre production of the The Rocky Horror Show. Due to the huge success of the production it was extended three times by popular demand.
More recent acting work in my career includes being a presenter for Homemarks ‘E-vibe’ infomercial, local sitcom ‘The Coconuts’, I played the role of womaniser Zak Strachcan on KykNets ‘Villa Rosa’ and most recently, I also made a guest appearance on ‘Egoli’.
Modeling is another avenue that I would like to pursue in the near future. I am currently the face of ‘Fedhealth’ on television and have appeared in the September 2009 edition of ‘Mens Health’ magazine.
August was the launch of new online magazine
http://www.saguysfitness.co.za/ and I have been featured in the September issue on my body sculpting secrets and training programme.
I am currently studying towards a significant area of interest, Counseling Psychology through UNISA and anticipate expanding my career in this field in the near future. I am presently busy with a Life Skills course at LifeLine and envisage putting myself forward as a counselor on completion of the course.
Major challenges I am faced with in this competition so far is to gain sufficient media exposure for myself within 2 months. This may seem like only ‘60 days’, but this is a very limited period of time. On occasion, journalists do not get back to you as promised before you know it, a new week is upon you. Time seems to run through your fingers like beach sand!
This year I am proud of both the work I am involved in as an actor and to have been considered a Semi-Finalist for this pageant. This uplifting experience has taught me to be open-minded and more receptive to issues affecting fellow South Africans in need.
If anything, I would like to be renowned for having affected the lives of others in an encouraging and positive manner. This ties in significantly with my psychology studies and the charitable work that I am currently involved with as Mr. South Africa Semi-Finalist.
I am honored to have made it this far, and look forward to the challenges that I will be faced with. I invite you to join me on this incredible journey that I will be sharing with you in my daily blogs and event calendar. My heartfelt thanks go out to my family and all of you, my friends for supporting me thus far in my campaign as a Mr. South Africa 2010 Semi-finalist.
There is still much work ahead, but as the saying goes, “work is love made visible”.
Kindest Regards,
Clayton Heroldt.
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