The Miss South Africa national beauty pageant is one of the most elite pageants in the African continent and focuses on choosing local beauties to represent and compete in big global stages such as Miss World and Miss Universe.
It has produced beauty queens over the past few decades including businesswoman Basetsana Khumalo, Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi who changed international standards of African beauty, and Miss World Rolene Strauss to name a few. The 2022 Top 30 contestants for Miss SA were revealed last night on the official Miss SA App at 19:00 and it boasts a diverse group of women from all walks of life and different backgrounds.
The Top 30 contestants were selected and narrowed down to by a group of elite women in business, beauty and media such as former judge and Miss SA 2015 Liesl Laurie-Mthombeni who also made the top 10 at Miss World that year. Actress, TV and radio personality Thando Thabethe, local fashion designer Khosi Nkosi, body positivity activist Tracey-Lee Lusty Horwitz, business maven Koo Govender and Creative director and editor-in-chief of True Love magazine, Makhosazana Zwane-Siguqa.
This year’s top 30 were also shared on the Official Miss SA social media channels and they include an estate agent, a corporate lawyer, a veterinarian, a forensic science graduate, teachers, models, entrepreneurs, and law students, proving that South African women aren’t only just beautiful but also aspiration and at the forefront of major careers compared to the past.
Upon coming down to this Top 30 the Miss SA official judging panel shared their own expectations of Miss SA and hinted on how they will be coming down to their decisions and those interview bites were published on the Miss SA website.
Laurie-Mthombeni who has judged Miss SA top 30 before said she is grateful for this opportunity and she does not take it for granted. “Being a part of the Miss South Africa judging panel is always such an honour for me because I am part of a group of incredibly powerful women that are sitting together and choosing the next ambassador for South Africa. This is essentially a woman that will go on to represent us internationally. Sitting on this panel is something I do not take for granted. I understand that this is a huge job interview and I always encourage the entrants of the pageant to treat it as such.”
Magazine editor Makhosazana Zwane-Siguqa also added, “The Miss South Africa pageant represents the hope and aspirations of not only the many young South African women who enter annually but to South Africa as a whole. Over the years, our generation has witnessed many a young woman’s life and communities being transformed for the better. The pageant has grown to reflect the mood and values of a beautiful nation, united in our diversity. I’m proud to have been part of a panel to present South Africa with the 30 young women who represent the best in all of us.”
