The Top 12 Miss South Africa finalists – who are vying for the title of Miss South Africa 2017 – have been announced.
Who will wear the prestigious crown when the event takes place at the Sun City Superbowl on 26 March?
The event will be televised live and simulcast on M-Net and Mzansi Magic.
The finalists hail from three of the country’s nine provinces; eight are from Gauteng with two from the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
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The Gauteng contestants are from Alexandra, Soweto, Lenasia, Pretoria, Benoni and Krugersdorp and the Western Cape finalists are from Herold’s Bay and Sedgefield. KwaZulu-Natal contestants hail from Durban and Mtunzini.
They are (in alphabetical order of their first names):
- Adè van Heerden – Herold’s Bay, Western Cape
- Boipelo Mabe – Alexandra, Gauteng
- Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters – Sedgefield, Western Cape
- Iman Mkwanazi – Lenasia, Gauteng
- Kayla Malherbe – Mtunzini, KwaZulu-Natal
- Nicole van Niekerk – Môregloed, Pretoria, Gauteng
- Nompumelelo Mampholo – Diepkloof, Soweto, Gauteng
- Odirile Sepeng – Mabopane, Pretoria, Gauteng
- Priyeshka Lutchman – Yellowwood Park, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
- Shané Naidoo – Benoni, Gauteng
- Shelbe Pretorius – Pinehaven, Krugersdorp, Gauteng
- Yuta Raubenheimer – Kameeldrift, Pretoria, Gauteng
For the first time in the history of the Miss South Africa Pageant, members of the public were invited to vote for their favourite Miss South Africa 2017 semi-finalist and propel her into the Top 12. The winner of the public vote was Pretoria’s Nicole van Niekerk.
The second round of public voting opened at midnight, 2 February. The public’s SMS votes will have a 25 per cent weighting of the overall voting towards the winner, with 75 per cent resting with the official judges. Voting is done via SMS. The public can SMS the number of their favourite Top 12 finalist to the short code number 45791. Each SMS will cost R1.50.
Claudia Henkel, Sun International’s PR manager said, “We are absolutely delighted with the finalists. The young women who have been selected depict everything that we hope the pageant represents… intelligence, integrity and beauty.”
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Suzette van der Merwe, managing executive for Cell C said, “The Miss South Africa pageant provides a prestigious and respected platform for these dynamic, talented young women to discover their strengths, boost their confidence and propel their lives forward. It provides life-changing experiences for all the participants and, for the winner, an opportunity to inspire and make a real difference.”
The young woman who is crowned Miss South Africa 2017 will automatically become the spokesperson for the Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Day initiative.
Tell us who you who you will be voting for by posting on our Facebook page or tweeting us at @Sandton_News
