MBOMBELA – South Africans are encouraged to vote for Miss South Africa 2016, Ntandoyenkosi Kunene, to help her secure a spot in the Miss Universe top 12. Online voting officially began at 04:00 on Tuesday.
Ntandoyenkosi , originally from Mkhondo in Mpumalanga, is currently competing in the Miss Universe pageant, which takes place in Manila in the Philippines on Monday.
Read: Ntandoyenkosi gears up for Miss Universe
Supporters can now vote for their favourite beauty queens by posting on Twitter (@MissUniverse) using the Miss Universe hashtag and the contestant’s country she is representing. For example, #MissUniverseSouthAfrica for those voting for Ntandoyenkosi.
For those who do not have a Twitter account, votes can also be cast by visiting the website vote.missuniverse.com or by downloading the Miss Universe app (https://bit.ly/MissUApp) or the Vodi app. Fans can vote up to 10 times per day per registered account. Voting closes on Monday ahead of the pageant.
The candidate with the most number of votes will secure her spot in the Top 12. Ntandoyenkosi is representing South Africa against
85 other countries in the competition. She says “There are young women representing much bigger countries in the competition. However, South Africans have big hearts and such a sense of pride that I believe that we can make a difference and see our country rightfully represented in the top 12.”
The Miss Universe Pageant will be broadcast live on FOX Television Network from the Mall of Asia Complex in Manila where Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines will crown her successor. It will be hosted by comedian Steve Harvey.
The pageant, which started as a marketing competition by California company Catalina Swimwear in 1952, has evolved over the past 64 years into an annual tradition celebrating intelligence, poise, and beauty. Miss South Africa, Margaret Gardiner, took the title in 1978
Other African winners include Miss Namibia, Michelle McLean in 1992; Miss Botswana, Mpule Kwelagobe in 1999 and Miss Angola, Leila Lopes in 2011.
