Rolene puts Mzansi on global stage

15 December 2014 - 02:01 By Andile Ndlovu
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I DON'T BELIEVE IT: Rolene Strauss, Miss South Africa and Miss World 2014, lets it all sink in after being crowned in London yesterday, 40 years after Anneline Kriel lifted the same crown
I DON'T BELIEVE IT: Rolene Strauss, Miss South Africa and Miss World 2014, lets it all sink in after being crowned in London yesterday, 40 years after Anneline Kriel lifted the same crown
Image: LEON NEAL/AFP PHOTO

Something about Rolene Strauss being crowned Miss World 2014 last night must have been attributable to fate.

A week after commemorating the first anniversary of Nelson Mandela's death, and in the year in which the country celebrated two decades of democracy, the University of the Free State's first successfully conceived test tube baby went a step further than any other home-grown beauty queen has gone since 1994.

Strauss beat first runner-up Edina Kulcsar, of Hungary, and Elizabeth Safrit, of the US, at a glitzy event at London's ExCeL Exhibition Centre.

It was also 20 years since Soweto's Bassie Kumalo, representing the new South Africa, finished as first runner-up to Aishwarya Rai.

Strauss told The Times an hour after her victory: "I'd just like to say to everyone in South Africa: Thank you for your support. I love you. This crown is dedicated to all of you. I love you'."

The last time a South African won was in 1974 when Anneline Kriel wore the crown. Penelope Anne Coelen took the title in 1958.

Betfred, Ladbrokes and Titanbet had Strauss as the favourite at 3.25/1, followed by Miss India, Koyal Rana, at 7.5/1 and Miss Australia, Courtney Thorpe, at 11/1.

When asked why she should take the crown, the Volksrust-born Strauss, 22, responded: "I have first-hand experience that unity, respect and forgiveness exist, and those are all the aspirations of the Miss World organisation. So it would be amazing to represent an organisation that is a beacon of hope all over the world."

Former Miss SA Melinda Bam, who is also the Miss SA national executive, guided Strauss throughout her journey to the crown. Bam was with Rolene's parents when their daughter won.

Rolene's parents said: "We know Rolene will make us and the country proud. This is an unbelievable surprise, totally unbelievable.This was a real team effort too."

Bam said: "When they called out her name, you probably had to pick us up from the ground. We'd like to thank everyone for their support and for believing in her.

"We know that no other girl deserves this title as much as she, so we're incredibly proud of our new Miss World."

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