Fashioning Modern Africanism

M iss Universe South Africa, Bryoni Govender, has revealed her farewell gown and the national costume she will wear when she represents South Africa at the  72 nd  Miss Universe pageant which takes place in El Salvador on November 18. Her national gown – by acclaimed KwaZulu-Natal designer Casey Jeanne – celebrates her Indian South African heritage while also allowing Govender to take centre stage. The reveal took place at  Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club’s Old Oak venue with  Govender’s family in attendance, including her father Deven, her mother Shireen and her grandmother, Mangany Govender. Miss South Africa Organisation’s Creative Director, Werner Wessels, explains that the national costume is of critical importance when it comes to showcasing the country of the pageant contestant, and is also one of the favourite events for Miss Universe fans and followers. “This year’s national costume is an African-Indian fusion and a celebration of Bryoni’s  heritage. It was inspire

Miss Universe South Africa Bryoni Govender has launched her countrywide advocacy campaign  Her Way Out,  ahead of her participation at the 72 nd  Miss Universe pageant which takes place in El Salvador on November 18. Govender, who was named Miss Universe South Africa at the Miss South Africa 2023 finale, has a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Johannesburg and was admitted as an attorney in July this year. She has pledged to be an ambassador for women’s rights during the course of her reign with her campaign,  Her Way Out , the main objective of which will be to take up the cudgels on behalf of women everywhere and help educate them on their legal rights. The human rights organisation, the Centre for Constitutional Rights, reports that the femicide rate in South Africa is five times the global average and, according to a United Nations report, South Africa ranks first for rapes per capita. To make her campaign as effective as possible, Govender has teamed up with the Social

South African born media personality and style icon, Bonang Matheba returns to the Miss South Africa pageant stage this Sunday as the official host. Her House of BNG Cap Classique is also the official Miss South Africa celebration sponsor. Having a long association with Miss South Africa over the past decade, Matheba first hosted the pageant for its 60th anniversary in 2018 then returned in 2019 when Zozibini Tunzi took the title and was later crowned Miss Universe. The pageant welcomes back Matheba, or Queen B as she is affectionately known, as a host and sponsor.  This year Matheba has played an even bigger role, having been on the journey with the finalists as a judge on the Miss South Africa television series Crown Chasers, which was broadcast recently on SABC 3. Matheba says she is delighted to be hosting the show once again. “The Miss South Africa pageant is one of the biggest television productions in the country, so I am very excited to be hosting the show for a third time this

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

The search has begun for the dynamic woman who will follow in the footsteps of the current Miss South Africa,  Ndavi Nokeri , represent her country on the international stage and become one of South Africa’s most recognisable faces and ambassadors. However, there are some exciting additions to this year’s competition, including a ground-breaking seven-part reality TV series as well as several rule changes which will allow married women and those with children to take part in the iconic contest for the first time. The age limit has also been modified.   Last year, fans were introduced – on the official Miss South Africa app – to  Crown Chasers , a behind-the-scenes look at the build-up to the 2022 finale.   This year,  Crown Chasers  has been developed into a full-blown and thrilling reality show showing the Miss South Africa competition as it’s never been seen it before. In the 7 x 60-minute series, those competing for the crown will be placed in real life Miss South Africa scenarios t

South Africa will soon be searching for Miss South Africa 2023 to follow in the footsteps of reigning queen Ndavi Nokeri. Entries for Miss South Africa 2023 will open today Monday, March 13, at 15h00 with several exciting new additions to this year’s competition being announced at the same time.   Says Stephanie Weil, CEO of the Miss South Africa Organisation: “ We have become known on the global scene as ‘pageant disruptors’. We constantly strive to keep the competition relevant and fresh and we believe our fans are going to be delighted and excited with what we’ve come up this year.   “While we are ensuring the Miss South Africa campaign loses none of the attributes fans and followers have come to love, we’ve also challenged ourselves to think bigger and better to make certain the Miss South Africa competition grows and evolves and retains relevance and interest in an ever changing world.   “I like to think of it as ‘pageantry revolutionised’,” adds Weil, “so be sure you don’t miss M

 A radiant Ndavi Nokeri from Limpopo has been crowned Miss South Africa 2022 at a glittering pageant finale which was held at the SunBet Arena at Time Square in Pretoria. The 23-year-old – who comes from Tzaneen – obtained her BCom Investment Management qualification from the University of Pretoria and was working as a consultant for an asset management firm in Cape Town at the time of her crowning.   Nokeri received R1 million in cash in a prize and sponsorship package totalling more than R3-million including the use of a serviced apartment at the lavish Ellipse Waterfall – developed by Tricolt and Attacq – for the year of her reign. She will also get to drive a Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan.   The runner-up was Ayanda Thabethe from Pietermaritzburg in KZN who received a R150 000 cash prize.   Nokeri will represent South Africa at the world’s three most prestigious pageants – Miss World, Miss Universe and Miss Supranational.   In her acceptance speech (which can be found at the bottom o

The Miss South Africa pageant proudly returns to Gauteng, with the 2022 winner set to be crowned at  Sun International ’s flagship venue, the SunBet Arena at Time Square, Pretoria. The last Miss South Africa to take the title at this venue was Zozibini Tunzi in 2019 who went on to win Miss Universe later that year. Miss South Africa 2022 pageant promises to be a spectacular and entertainment-packed show and will fittingly take place during Women’s Month, on Saturday, August 13. As in previous years, it will also be broadcast live on M-Net and Mzansi Magic and streamed for an international audience on the Miss South Africa app.   The Top 10 women going through to the finals will be announced on June 13 via the Miss South Africa App, which can be downloaded for free from the  Apple App Store  or  Google Play store . Viewers will now have access to experience each Top 30 contestants final interview as well as watch the live announcement of the Top 10.   Says CEO of the Miss South Africa O

Meet the Top 30 contestants vying for the title of Miss South Africa 2022 and vote for your favourite to make it into the Top 10. The 30 hopefuls are an impressive and diverse group and include an estate agent, a corporate lawyer, a   veterinarian , a forensic science graduate, teachers, models, entrepreneurs and law students. They come from all over South Africa with Gauteng leading the field with 13 contestants (with three from Soweto and two from Tshwane); the Western Cape has five; KwaZulu Natal has four; the Eastern Cape is represented by three women; the Free State has two as has the North West and there is one from Limpopo.   For the next few weeks, the women will be out to impress this year's Top 30 judges who are radio presenter and personality and Miss South Africa 2015 Liesl Laurie,  body positive activist Tracey-Lee Lusty Horwitz, Dentsu CEO Koo Govender, fashion designer Khosi Nkosi, True Love Editor-in-Chief, Makhosazana Zwane-Siguqa, actor Simoné Nortmann and actor a