This year, the Miss South Africa (SA) organisation has implemented a lot of changes within the pageant, including the recent decision not to participate in the prestigious Miss Universe competition.
Last week, the organisation shared during a media briefing introducing the new co-chairs, Basetsana Kumalo and Peggy-Sue Khumalo, that Mia le Roux’s successor will not be participating in Miss Universe.
The organisation’s representative shared that due to a lack of time and preparation, it would be unfair to send the incoming queen to Thailand next month.
“This year, Miss SA will not be competing at Miss Universe due to the timing.
A Miss SA representative requires up to three months of planning to go abroad and to represent South Africa. Miss Universe is directly after Miss SA, as you have seen the dates.
“On behalf of the organisation, it would not be fair on our Miss SA to not get fully prepped for that international competition,” they revealed.
The usual date for the Miss SA finale would be around August.
However, it was announced that they have pushed back the date to October to prepare for the finale, marking a new era.
In 2024, Le Roux was sent to compete in Miss Universe. However, due to health complications, she had to pull out of the competition just a few hours before the finale.
This is the first time in history that SA will not be competing at Miss Universe.
Despite the disappointment, SA has had a good run of beauty queens who have raised the SA flag high.
Here’s a look at beauty queens who conquered the world stage and took home crowns:
Zozibini Tunzi
Tunzi won the hearts of many during her journey to becoming a Miss Universe.
She became one of the first beauty queens to grace the stages of pageants with her short hair.
She showed you can be beautiful with your natural hair, fully embracing the look.
Tunzi opened doors for many beauty queens after her and gave them the confidence to strut the stage with or without hair.
Shudufhadzo Musida became the second beauty queen with no hair to be crowned Miss SA in 2020, a few years after Tunzi’s reign.
Margaret Gardiner
Gardiner made history as the first Miss Universe from SA in 1978. Gardiner was only 18 years old when she competed with the rest of the world and managed to take home the crown.
Demi-Leigh Tebow
In 2017, Tebow also made SA proud as she went on to compete at Miss Universe, taking home the crown and making history as the second beauty queen from SA to hold the title.
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