Miss South Africa 2020 first round judges announced

The four Miss South Africa 2020 first round judges have been announced.

They are Miss South Africa judging veteran Anele Mdoda and former Miss South Africa title holders Bokang Montjane-Tshabalala (2010), Liesl Laurie (2015) and Adè van Heerden (2017).

The four judges are currently going through the more than 2 500 entries received – a record number for the pageant – from which they will choose 35 contestants to participate in the virtual interview rounds before a top 16 is announced.

Radio and television personality Anele Mdoda – who was also part of the Miss SA judging panel when Rolene Strauss went on to win Miss World and when Zozibini Tunzi took the Miss Universe crown – says she doesn’t feel any pressure to find the next international winner and laughs off her moniker as the “judge with the Midas touch”.

“It’s never about the judges; it is the belief the young women have in themselves. We just serve as a springboard; the crown finds the contestant whilst she is looking for it,” she says.

Says CEO of the Miss South Africa Organisation, Stephanie Weil: “We are delighted with the number of entries received and the excitement surrounding this year’s pageant, which is reflected in those record numbers. We are also thrilled with the quality of entrants and believe that the judges are going to have a hard time choosing 16 semi-finalists.”

Recently it was announced that, for the first time in the history of the Miss South Africa pageant, the top three finalists would represent the country at the world’s three most prestigious pageants. Previously, the Miss South Africa Organisation has sent a representative to both Miss Universe and Miss World, but will also now be fielding an entrant to Miss Supranational.

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