January Red-Hot rubyman – Armand Du Plessis

We couldn’t think of a better way to start off 2016 than with Mr South Africa! We caught up with Armand and did a little digging to get to know the man behind Mr South Africa.

All our rubies are definitely dying to know – are you single or in a relationship?
Singleeeee. 😉

What motivated you to enter Mr South Africa?
I have always wanted to enter Mr South Africa and was inspired by a previous winner. Since I can remember I have been involved with charity projects and outreaches, and believed that the Mr South Africa platform would’ve given me the opportunity to make a difference throughout our country. A title, such as Mr. South Africa, has so much to offer. I see the title as a stepping-stone and platform, which I wanted to use to highlight social issues and problems and encourage others to make a difference in other people’s lives. I am very passionate about education, and agree with the words of the Late President Nelson Mandela, who said that; education is the most powerful weapon one can use to change the world. Through the Mr. South Africa title, I wanted to encourage the youth to educate themselves and further their studies. We, as a county, have come a very long way, and I am very positive of where we can be if more South Africans were educated!

How do you keep fit and balance your busy lifestyle?
It hasn’t been easy but what I have noticed is that planning and prioritizing are very important. Throughout my busy year of reign as Mr South Africa I unfortunately had to say NO to a few events in order to focus on balancing my life. Wherever I might have travelled over the past year, I have always tried to at least get in some sort of training and exercise and have focused on eating as healthy as I possibly can.

Any tips on confidence for our readers?
I believe that the man that has confidence in himself will gain the confidence of others. You need to accept and love yourself and be happy with who you are to truly have confidence in yourself. Having confidence is one of the best qualities one could have.

What is the most important piece of advice you can give the youth of today?
The youth has been my main focus throughout the past year and I have had the pleasure of working with them on a regular basis. I have realized that the youth of today is very negative; negative about their futures and the future of our country. The piece of advice I would give to them is to remain positive at all times and be sure that there IS a future for each of them in South Africa; and they HAVE got what it takes to turn every dream of theirs into a reality. They should complete their schooling careers and if possible, further their studies. Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world! I am very excited to see what the future holds for all of them and our beautiful country.

You are an official DeskBags ambassador; please tell us more about this initiative?
Being passionate about children and education, this is the perfect charity combining these two with one another. According to basic education minister, Angie Motshekga, there are as many as 3 million school children in South Africa who do not have the privilege of working at a desk. As many of these children do not have formal classrooms, they are forced to either kneel on the ground, or work on makeshift desks during their school day. As you can imagine, they not only experience extreme discomfort, but their educational development is considerably hampered, and they could subsequently struggle to become positive contributing members of society. While building structured classrooms and providing them with the relevant furniture would be the ideal, this is unfortunately not an immediate solution, due to the substantial investment required. However, DeskBags have come up with an innovative and viable alternative solution, in which you can make a significant difference in helping to uplift educational standards in Africa. These DeskBags are not only functional eco-friendly school bags, but also provide a portable desk solution.
I have been in the privileged position to be involved with this charity on an occasion or two. I recently returned from the Eastern Cape Province, which is the province being most effected by the need of desks, where I have handed 50 DeskBags over to a primary school. This, allowing me to introduce this charity initiative to this province.
I will continue to work with this charity initiative throughout, and even after, this year as this is something I am very passionate about and an initiative I believe in.

How can someone get involved and help with DeskBags?
We would love for as many people as possible to get involved with this amazing initiative. We are always in need of an extra pair of hands to assist us at our hand overs. We have got a few exciting and big projects lined up for the New Year and will be needing as much support as possible. To those that would like to get involved, visit www.deskbags.co.za to get in contact with the DeskBags Founders or, alternatively, they can contact me through my Facebook Page – Armand du Plessis.

What is your star sign?
January is a special month to me as I celebrate my birthday on the 11th of this month. This makes my star sign a Capricorn. I am sure there are just nice things to say about  a Capricorn. Haha! 😉 I will be turning 27 on the 11th of January 2016.

Can you cook and if so what is your favourite meal to prepare?
I love to cook but unfortunately didn’t get much time to do so throughout the past year. I’ve got a VERY sweet tooth and my favourite meal to prepare is a Creme Brulee. Are there perhaps any volunteers wanting to risk the results of my cooking?

The most romantic thing you have done for a woman?
I do not kiss and tell, but what I can say is that a five-course meal prepared by myself, lots of candles, roses and our favourite songs… It was a GOOD evening and I had a VERY happy lady by the end of the night.

Any crazy backstage stories from Mr South Africa?
I think I’ll have to write a book in order to tell all these stories. 😉 But what I can say is that I believe we don’t come close to the stories seen on “Toddlers And Tiara’s” and that of the female pageants.
What I can speak about is the The Men Of Honour campaign we launched during the competition last year. This was launched at the end of January 2014 and aimed to encourage and inspire young men to live up to the qualities that the Men Of Honour campaign stands for. This campaign is about the example we should set to our fellow South Africans – to speak up for those who can’t, care for those who need to be looked after and love all South Africans, despite their background and circumstances they might be facing. Through this we encourage others to also live a honourable life, a life worth remembering. I am very grateful to be associated with this campaign, as I believe it highlights many aspects and beliefs I stand for.
I look forward to making you all PROUD at Mr. World 2016!!!

If you want to get in touch with Armand you can find him on these social media platforms:

• Twitter – @ArmandDuPMrSA
• Facebook – Armand du Plessis
• Instagram – @armanddup