MR AND MS PHARMACY: WHERE LAB COATS MEET GLAMOUR

Fulufhelo Nesane 

@pigsareweird21

 

When one thinks of pharmacy, glamour and high-end couture are the last things on one’s mind. However, last night set fire to the stereotypical boring pill dispensaries and agonising queues at your local Dis-Chem. Our soon-to-be pharmacists proved to the audience that glitz and dazzling lights go hand in hand with lab coats and pharmacology textbooks at Mr and Ms Pharmacy 2026.

 

The scene was set on Saturday night, 14 March, at the Roots Venue with its fairytale-esque walkway as shimmering lights hung above the path. The hall was beautifully decorated with hanging lanterns and pastel tones to set the mood for the evening. 

 

The respective main characters of the evening – Johan Kotze, Chairperson of the Potchefstroom Aptekers Studente Vereeniging (PASV), or otherwise known as the Potchefstroom Pharmacy Student Association (PPSA), and Kristen Koekemoer, who is doing her master’s in mechanical engineering – were a welcome delight of the evening with their witty quips and charming on-stage antics.

 

The competition itself was quite hearty, with a creative and spontaneous informal walk, ranging from pimped-out lab coats and the more experimental receipt capes and colourful coats made entirely of face masks to the form-fitting suits and ball gowns of the formal walk. Styled by Potchefstroom Academy and designed by Jordt Collection, the finalists were dazzling in their tailor-made sleek and modern formal attire. 

 

The top 20 finalists showed off their creativity through improv and playful costumes. The air was light as they strutted their best moves across the stage, with certain finalists boldly revealing their potential of being future Trevor Noahs or Leon Schusters in an alternate timeline.

 

Although their aesthetics were on point, intellectualism and cleverly answered questions determined the respective winners for the evening. To secure their spot as either the reigning king or queen, the finalists had to answer the judges’ questions without any preparation under the bright stage lights and the stares of the audience fixed on their every move – a social anxiety nightmare.

 

After this harrowing ordeal, the true highlight of the evening was a performance by Kerk Straat, an Afrikaans rock band that stole the hearts of the crowd. The lead singer’s excellent raspy vocals and the entire band’s instrumental genius provided a well-timed escape into what Francois Viviers, frontman of Kerk Straat, described as “this wild roller coaster”. Bathed in the red and blue fluorescent stage lights, Kerk Straat embodied their loud and unapologetic presence with a grateful undertone. 

 

Their crowd interactions and playful banter mixed in with a spontaneous jam session amid technical difficulties warmed the audience. The finalists with their supporters and the band huddled together before the stage to belt out “Toe Vind Ek Jou” by Francois van Coke, showing why the PASV/PPSA decided to bring back the event after four years – to allow the BPharm students, and anyone else, some freedom to let loose without the burden of academic pressure for a fleeting moment. The event was open to everyone, not just those in pharmacy, to have fun and look fantastic while doing so.

 

“Backstage is so different from what you see now in front of you,” responded Tshegofatso Seane, secretary of the PASV/PPSA, when asked how she felt about the event. “There were so many setbacks, and we only started planning this last year in November when we decided to bring this back. In the end, I’m just happy the event was a success.” 

 

Similar sentiments were expressed among the other members about the overall success of the event. Shanlie Meyer, First Years and Projects Officer of the PASV/PPSA, shared how she was particularly happy with the success of the Abraham Kriel Donation Drive held at the event. She noted that the finalists and the guests truly opened their hearts to the orphanage by donating toys, food, and clothing. Kotze, Chairperson of the PASV/PPSA, further added that the winners of Mr and Ms Pharmacy would continue to aid in community outreaches guided by Meyer as a new initiative.

 

Meyer shared how part of the event was for the contestants to go to the Abraham Kriel children’s home, in which the female contestants held a mini-fashion show for the girls while the male contestants played soccer with the boys. Meyer personally oversaw this activity with the help of her subcommittee, Tender Hearts, with more outreaches planned for the semester.

 

The night ended with the winners of the evening. De Wet Visser, a first-year BPharm student, won Mr Pharmacy 2026, and Leshané Chatwind, a third-year BPharm student, won Ms Pharmacy 2026.

 

“What a lovely night! I think it’s been a huge privilege to do this competition with not only my fellow first-years but also the older people in pharmacy. As a first year, it was unimaginable to have this experience, and it’s just amazing. I mean, I signed up for this two days ago, so it was very last minute. I didn’t expect it at all, but it was a lovely experience. I am truly, truly honoured and so privileged to study at NWU as a pharmacy student and experience fun events like this. Thank you so much,” was Visser’s response when asked how he felt about being Mr Pharmacy 2026.

 

When asked how she felt as Ms Pharmacy, Chatwind responded, “I really am just so ecstatic! I never expected to win, and in my favourite dress, no less. It’s just amazing to know I won this title by studying something so hard and getting this from it – it’s amazing.”

 

Overall, Mr and Ms Pharmacy was a success, as it not only accomplished its purpose as a fun event for the students but also proved that glamour and medicine dispensers are wonderfully complementary.

 

Finalist wearing a bedazzled laboratory coat that says “Future Pharmacist” on the back with a pill, heart, and heart rate lines. (Source: Leya Bothma under Empire Photographer @jacobothmaphotograph).

 

A finalist wearing a paper medicine bottle as a costume. (Source: Leya Bothma under Empire Photographer @jacobothmaphotograph).

 

Leshané Chatwind being crowned as Ms Pharmacy 2026 by Heike-Louise Hechter, Vice Chairperson of the PASV/PPSA, with Anne Seaman, Academic Liaison of the PASV/PPSA. (Source: Leya Bothma under Empire Photographer @jacobothmaphotography).

 

Nathania Bond, First Runner-up for Ms Pharmacy 2026, next to Leshané Chatwind, Ms Pharmacy 2026, and De Wet Visser, Mr Pharmacy 2026 (Source: Leya Bothma under Empire Photographer @jacobothmaphotography).

 

A black and two gold bags next to two flower bouquets behind various crowns and tiaras with two white sashes with gold lettering that respectively reads “Mr Pharmacy 2026” and “Ms Pharmacy 2026” in front of them (Source: Leya Bothma under Empire Photographer @jacobothmaphotograph).

 

Edited by Antoinette Tshikota