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Housework takes effort for most of us, but there is one woman who does not work up a sweat when it comes to handling brooms and vacuum cleaners.
Last week Regina Jonga, a 38-year-old domestic worker, defied stereotypes to win the H&H Classic Body Building Competition in Pretoria North.
Jonga was born in Zimbabwe, but moved to South Africa after a difficult divorce in 2014.
She settled in Mamelodi in eastern Pretoria and worked for a family there to provide for her children in Zimbabwe.
But Jonga, who was crowned the Ms Zimbabwe body building champion in 2015, continued to pump iron and trained at the Mighty Men Fitness Club to build up the body she boasts today.
“I was a domestic worker once a week and could not afford supplements. So, I did what I could, buying whatever healthy food I could afford and working out harder than other people at the gym,” Jonga told City Press’ sister newspaper, Rapport.
In 2012, aged 35, she started weight training in Zimbabwe, and soon began winning titles.
In the ensuing few years, she gained increasing recognition and clinched titles in Zimbabwe and South Africa – culminating in her qualifying to compete in actor and former body builder Arnold Schwarzenegger’s well-known Arnold Classic contest earlier this year, held in Sandton. Jonga finished in sixth place.
Her story caught the attention of a local radio station. Sponsorships from benefactors followed, ensuring that she could take the correct supplements and exercise in a properly equipped gym.
Jonga now works for two Pretoria families, each for one day a week. On the other three days, she works as a cleaner at a Pretoria restaurant.
One of her employers told Rapport she was an inspiration. “She is wonderful. I have a lot of respect for her commitment and drive, but I also really enjoy her friendly personality.”
Jonga does not plan on doing housework for long, but at the moment it gives her the opportunity to pursue her passion. “I am focusing on the Gauteng provincial competition, which takes place on August 13 in Pretoria North.
“We will see what happens from there.”
