Fashioning Modern Africanism

Reigning Miss Universe, R'Bonney Nola Gabriel, will join four other leading South African personalities on this year’s Miss South Africa judging panel. They are Leandie du Randt, Thuso Mbedu, Devi Sankaree Govender and Jo-Ann Strauss. Gabriel (29) – an American fashion designer, model and beauty queen who was previously crowned Miss USA 2022 –   became the ninth entrant from the United States to win the Miss Universe title, succeeding Harnaaz Sandhu of India. Sitting alongside Gabriel on the Miss South Africa judging panel will be:   Actress, presenter, voice artist, model, author and entrepreneur, Leandie du Randt, who also served as a judge on the Miss South Africa television series Crown Chasers . ·       Actor Thuso Mbedu, who first rose to prominence in the teen drama series  Is'Thunzi , for which she was nominated for an  International Emmy in 2017 and 2018. In 2021 she starred in The Underground Railroad  which earned her an Independent Spirit Award for Best Fema

It’s been 23 years since the Miss South Africa pageant was broadcast on SABC3 but now it’s back on the channel bigger and better than ever. In 1999, the grand finale was held at the Sun City Superbowl on Saturday, December 11 with 26 finalists taking part. At the end of the evening, SABC3 viewers watched Heather Hamilton from KwaZulu Natal crowned Miss South Africa. This year, the 2023 Miss South Africa winner will not only be crowned live on SABC3 but viewers will also get to see all the behind-the-scenes machinations that go into choosing a winner, with a five-part series – Crown Chasers   – being broadcast weekly in the lead up to the final event and the crowning of a new Miss South Africa, which will take place at Sun International ’s SunBet Arena at Time Square in Pretoria on Sunday, August 13. Says Lala Tuku, Head of Local Productions at the SABC: “We are thrilled to have Miss South Africa back on our platform. The Miss South Africa title carries with it a lot of hope, asp

Former Miss Universe and Miss South Africa title holder Zozibini Tunzi makes her television series debut as the host of the very first Miss South Africa television show, Crown Chasers , which starts on SABC3 on Saturday, July 8, at 16h00. In the 5 x 60-minute series the Miss South Africa finalists are placed in real life scenarios that include challenges based on the four pillars of Miss South Africa – duty, championship, empowerment and beauty. A challenge winner will be chosen each week by a judging panel comprising of Bonang Matheba and Leandie du Randt as well as a weekly celebrity guest judge. In addition, at the end of each thrilling episode, the judges will vote off one of the contestants, with the seven remaining finalists going through to participate in the live grand finale on August 13. Speaking of her role in the series, Zozibini Tunzi, who made her big screen debut in last year’s The Woman King , says: “Hosting a TV series for the first time has been a beautiful expe

Miss South Africa 2020 will be crowned at The Table Bay hotel in an entertainment-packed event on Saturday, October 24, from 17h00. The event will be screened live on M-Net and Mzansi Magic and will also be streamed online. For Tunzi it seems surreal: “I was a contestant on stage just a year ago and was in awe of the women on the judging panel.”   Tunzi went on to take the Miss South Africa crown before winning Miss Universe: “I know what it is like first hand to be in the job that these incredible women are applying for. I am excited to see how that experience will be of help in the judging panel. One woman’s life is about to change and I am a part of a panel that will make that happen. I am nervous but mostly humbled and excited by it. ”   So what will she be looking for in a potential Miss South Africa: “There are different aspects to look out for, but I am mostly looking for someone with raw authenticity and sincerity about who they are. I am not looking for perfection or moral pur