Anneline Kriel

1. What’s your biggest achievement / Something you’re proud of yourself for?

“My biggest ambition was to become an actress. My parents believed that we all had to pursue further education after finishing school. My sister and brother both studied to become teachers but I was adamant my future lay in studying dramatic art at the University of Pretoria. I was successful with my application to study dramatic art at the University of Pretoria and after reaching the big city of Pretoria from a small town called Witbank it seemed that my future took on a life of its own. A serious of events happened that shaped my future. 

Although it usually takes time to realize one’s dream I was lucky when in my second year at varsity I was given the leading role in a feature film called “SOMER”. It was not plain sailing as I was Miss South Africa at the same time and the schedule to film SOMER was at the same time as the Miss World Competition to be held in London, England. Initially the producers were reluctant to reschedule and held me to a contract which I had signed to appear in the film. The Miss South Africa organizers assured me that after getting exposure at the Miss World Competition I would be overrun with offers to appear in international films. I stressed over this dilemma and cried a lot until there was a breakthrough and I was informed that the film was to be shot before I had to leave for the Miss World contest. At the time it was a big achievement for me to be able to call myself an actress having secured a leading female role in a feature film and a television production called “Storieboekmoord”.

And……yes, an offer to appear in an international film came shortly after I became Miss World. It was from someone who invited me to come to an audition at Pinewood Studios which is a very reputable film studio just outside London . When I arrived at the office at the address I had been given for the audition I was a bit taken off guard as it looked unused and deserted. On arrival I was ushered into a room where two creepy looking men were sitting behind a desk. They told me about this blockbuster film project of which I would be the star. I was asked by one of the creepy men to take off my clothes so that they could determine if my body was what they were looking for. I was only nineteen years old but despite being a bit unworldly my third sense kicked in and I said shyly without wanting to offend anyone that I would only take my clothes off after reading the script and wanting the part on offer in the film. There was no script and I left the room hiding my fear. 

Always trust your instincts and as my mom often said “let your yes be yes and your no be no”.

Various other achievements come to mind that I am proud of such as being mother to two beautiful daughters and a champion of animal rights providing a home to many rescue dogs over the years. As Miss World and being a South African I was not invited to visit Australia or the USA because of the opposition of these countries and many others to “apartheid”. Then, however, an opportunity arose for me when I was invited by a photographer to visit Paris, France for a photoshoot which kick started my career as a fashion model which took me to Italy, the USA and many other countries.“

2. What’s your biggest fear / something that holds you back?

“My biggest challenge has always been to overcome a negative messaging from my inner voice. Sometimes my inner voice will tell me that I will fail in something I would like to do . My natural instinct was to walk away from an opportunity which I felt it was beyond me or which I could not control. This self defensive action was a reflection of a lack of confidence in myself which I had to deal with and become more positive, persevering and believing in myself. Even as a child I remembered being a very good athlete but slowed down just before the finishing line. Luckily today being older and I hope wiser I am more self assured and don’t have to prove myself. I have also learned about the need for staying power – not to give up! In this context a Madiba quote comes to mind – “Don’t judge me by my successes but judge me by how many times I fell down and got up again”

3. What’s your biggest contribution / Something you like to share?

“Is that hopefully I have inspired someone to be brave enough to seize an opportunity when it presents itself! From time to time my mom would ask me to sit next to her on the porch of our house and that would be her opportunity to counsel and inspire me to leave Witbank and experience the wider world. I was an average student at school who always just scraped through the exams. During one such session on the porch just before my final matric exams, my mom told me that she and my dad had made peace with the fact that I would not pass Matric and would probably have to spend another year at school in Witbank….. and that was okay with them. Well, my hope was to go university and that was enough to motivate me to make sure that I studied harder so that I could pass Matric and get good enough marks to go to university.

At university the wider world did open up for me, more than I ever imagined. After becoming Rag Queen a photographer presented me with the opportunity to enter the Miss South Africa contest. I agreed that he could enter me on the condition that my photograph didn’t appear in the press. I wrongly thought I could keep my entry a secret which I wanted to do because I didn’t believe I was good enough to win. Of course it was impossible to keep my participation in the contest quiet and my picture appeared in all the local newspapers. I was so relieved that I did win the Miss Northern Transvaal title and became Miss South Africa which enabled me to face my fellow students with a sense of accomplishment and pride. 

I also hope I have demonstrated that as we get older our appearance will inevitably change. We are however provided with the opportunity to benefit from our life experiences and develop our personalities to lead worthwhile and fulfilling lives. One cannot fight the aging process but staying fit, eating well and having a purpose in life remain central to being happy and content. Family and friends are of course very important as are hobbies and if possible getting involved in activities which uplift the lives of those who are less fortunate. Retirement inevitably means that you own your time and have choices how best to spend it.”