A double celebration unfolded at King Phalo Airport on Friday as family, friends and supporters turned out to welcome home two young Eastern Cape stars after their success on the international stage.
Sprinter Sinesipho Dambile returned home with Commonwealth Games gold, while 16-year-old Lisolihle Nyingwa arrived back from Brazil after being crowned first princess at the Miss Teen Global Beauty International 2026 pageant.
Nyingwa, a Clarendon High School pupil, was the youngest contestant in the competition and admitted the experience had initially been daunting.
“In Brazil, I was actually quite nervous because I was the youngest there,” she said.
Despite those nerves, she finished in the top three — an achievement she said she was still coming to terms with.
“But now that I have made it to the Top 3, I’m still trying to figure out how I feel, but my emotions are really mixed,” she said.
Nyingwa said one of her biggest challenges was competing against contestants who arrived with professional support teams.
“Most of the contestants had hairstylists and make-up artists, and I just went there with my parents, so I mostly had to do stuff with my parents,” she said.
She nevertheless returned home proud of her achievement and of having represented South Africa on the international stage.
Sharing the airport homecoming was Dimbaza-born Dambile, 24, who became the first South African to win the Commonwealth Games men’s 200m title.
Dambile clocked 19.96 seconds to take gold in Glasgow, adding another major achievement to his growing athletics career.
For the sprinter, returning home to his parents and familiar faces was an achievement worth celebrating in itself.
“For me, man, it’s just a beautiful moment,” he said.
“Let alone that I did all the work, and I’m happy to see all the people from Dimbaza here.”
Supporters of both young achievers joined the celebrations, turning the airport arrivals hall into a homecoming for two Eastern Cape talents who had represented South Africa thousands of kilometres from home.
Nokubonga Gxagxisa
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