For more than 65 years, the Miss South Africa pageant has seen thousands of women compete for the coveted crown that has changed the lives of the winners. While many might hope to win the Miss Universe or Miss World titles, they have also gone on to forge their own paths removed from the world of ball gowns and glittering stages. From pharmaceuticals to boardrooms, here's all the tea you need on the previous winners.
RAINBOW NATION ROYAL
History was made when Mofokeng won the title at 21 with her BCom barely in hand. But it wasn't her age that changed South Africa's pageant game. With democratic change on the horizon in 1993, Mofokeng's win ended Miss SA's long history of racial segregation and resulted in her being the first black woman to take the prize home.
As the most elusive former title holder, Mofokeng spends her days nestled in New Jersey in the US. Before leaving, she started an executive placing firm, Jay Emm Communications. In her most recent interview, Mofokeng shared that she consulted with a beauty magazine and also sat on the board of a local IT firm. She now has a family of her own with two children.
THE FIRST INDIAN QUEEN
While Jacqui Mofokeng may have been the first black winner, Kerishnie Naicker became the first Indian contestant to win in 1997. When Naicker won at 25, she was already at the cut-off age with slim chances of walking away with the title. She continued to defy expectations regarding age when she had her first and only child at 42.
Other than qualifying as a pharmacist, Naicker still does charity work through her eponymous foundation. She has also been tapped to judge the pageants on occasion.
THE COMEBACK QUEEN
When Rolene Strauss first entered the pageant in 2011 she only managed to place in the top five, struggling to succeed in the question section due to her poor command of English. While many may have mocked her during that time, she got back up again and entered in 2014 and won both Miss SA and Miss World.
The comeback queen is multifaceted in her daily life, working as a transformational coach, a published author and an entrepreneur.
FROM SOUTH AFRICA TO THE WORLD
It's one feat winning the Miss SA title but Penny Coelen made history by being the first South African to snag the Miss World title in 1958. Coelen leapt into a number of business ventures including her own fashion and beauty brand. This no doubt helped her ambitions when she opened her own salon.
Coelen was married for 59 years to Michael Rey, who passed away in 2021. The pair had five sons but one of them passed away after a polo incident. She now has 15 grandchildren.
TAKING THE UNIVERSE
We've solved who the first South African Miss World was but what about the first Miss Universe from South Africa? That honour went to Margaret Gardiner.
Earning her titles in 1978, the former beauty queen has since earned a psychology degree and had a high-flying life after her win. She has since moved to LA and works as a TV and print journalist. She also became a member of the Hollywood Press Association who not only vote but host the Golden Globes.
THE SHORT-HAIRED QUEEN
While there have been many queens who have won titles the world over with short hair, none have been more prolific than Zozibini Tunzi who won rocking natural hair, and on top of that, it was quite short.
Before her win, many contestants from regional pageants to international ones triumphed with longer locks. With a number of sociopolitical conversations dominating the Zeitgeist in the 2010s, Thunzi's win came at a time of much change.
Other than her work done through the Zozibini Foundation, she has remained in the spotlight with appearances in movies like The Woman King and recently competed on The Masked Singer SA.
AGAINST ALL COVID-19 ODDS
With the bleak realities of Covid-19 facing the globe, it did not seem likely that a queen would be crowned in 2020 but the long-standing tradition stood the test of time. Shudufadzo Musida won the year the world stood still and continued a new tradition of bold beauties by breaking the standards like her predecessor, Thunzi, receiving the crown bald.
While mental health was pivotal to her run for the Miss SA title, Musida has continued to champion human rights and still advocates for mental health awareness. She has also published her own children's book and cofounded the swimwear brand Imbe.
BOARDROOM CROWN
Many often make the mistake of thinking Basetsana Kumalo may have been the first black Miss South Africa, however, it was only a year after Jacqui's win that she secured the crown. Soon after her win, Kumalo became a major fixture of the South African entertainment industry next to her husband Romeo.
She was one of the first presenters of Top Billing and quickly went into business with the show's production company. Their joint venture, Tswelopele Production, merged with Union Alliance Media and was listed on the JSE, making Kumalo the youngest black woman director in the mainstream of South Africa's economy. Her many ventures are typically based on empowerment and making a difference in people's lives.
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