Soweto crowns its new queen Paige Harvey

The 44th Miss Soweto final took place at the Soweto Theatre in Jabulani on November 25 and the prestigious event saw the crowning of Paige Harvey as the new reigning queen.

Winning the first and second runner-up titles were Lethaukuthula Ayanda Maseko and Nhlakanipho Amandla Mkongi, respectively, and before handing over the crown to the new Queen, Miss Soweto 2022 Tsakane Sono expressed her gratitude for having carried the title.

“What a precious honour it has been to serve you, Soweto. Being Miss Soweto has changed my life in many ways that I never could’ve expected,” she said.

“Not only has it helped me become more confident in myself, either as a model or speaker, it has opened opportunities for me to collaborate with so many organisations that may be forgotten or unseen.”

Taking over from Sono is Eldorado Park’s Harvey. The beauty queen shared that she would like to use her reign to raise awareness about drug and alcohol abuse, which she considers a pandemic in her community.

“For someone growing up in hardship and amidst drug abuse, winning means breaking free from those challenges. It involves overcoming adversity, pursuing education, building a stable life, and breaking the cycle of negative influences,” Harvey said.

Sponsors White Star marketing manager Mokhele Makhoti emphasised the pageant was more than just glamour and beauty. “We want to show young women that come into Miss Soweto that even if they don’t win, they must learn from the journey because we give them the skills to enter Miss South Africa.”

With one of the requirements for the pageant being to either be from Soweto or have some lineage when looking for a winner, the pageant looks for women who can empower themselves and the community of Soweto.

“Miss Soweto doesn’t just empower contestants who end up learning how to handle their own business and be brand ambassadors of big companies, it empowers the fashion industry, designers, artists, and every single creative sphere,” Makhoti added.