Miss SA 2016, who’s next in line?
All 12 finalists are ready for the Miss South Africa beauty pageant, writes Siphelele Buthelezi
TWELVE women who made it to the finals of the Miss South Africa beauty pageant are all ready for the big night, but only one of them will get to wear the new crown as Miss South Africa 2016.
This year’s pageant has some changes with the organisers having decided to give the Miss South Africa crown a new look.
On March 19, Miss South Africa will be crowned with a crown named Enhle, a Zulu name which means “beauty”.
The pageant will be screened in a two-hour live broadcast on M-Net and Mzansi Magic.
The magnificent crown was created by Jack Friedman Jewellers and the new name was chosen through a social media competition.
The crown has three large purple sugilite stones which were mined near Hotazel in the Northern Cape.
The crown’s designer, Howard Friedman, said other stones used in the crown were amethyst and white quartz crystals.
“We chose the materials used in Enhle to be symbolic of Miss South Africa’s reign. Sugilite is believed to have protective and healing proper- ties. We hope that it will keep her safe during her reign as well as help her unite our nation,”said Friedman.
The crown will also carry the history of Miss South Africa – the names of all former Miss South Africa title holders will be engraved on it.
Since Rolene Strauss was crowned Miss World last year, there has been renewed interest in the local beauty pageant and over the years the crown has changed and become better.
Miss South Africa spokeswoman Claudia Henkel said the old crown, Palesa, would now go on display.
“We changed the previous one because this one is more practical for use around the country. It allows Miss South Africa to style her hair in different ways as well. Palesa belongs to Jack Friedman Jewellers and will be displayed in a road show around its stores,” she said.
The Sunday Tribune chatted to outgoing Miss South Africa Liesel Laurie about her plans for the future.
“It has been a great 12-month experience. Being Miss South Africa exposed me to a lot of things and I have grown. My next role will be within the entertainment industry, although I can’t say much at the moment, but people will know about it soon. Another thing I will do is focus on business. I will also go ‘back to school’ to get my honours in BCom accounting,” she said.
Asked about the new crown, she said it was fit for a queen.
“It’s very beautiful. Every woman who enters the contest wants to wear the crown. Mine will now go on display since a new crown has been created.
“No pageant winner gets to keep the crown because it is very expensive. I also wouldn’t want to have it in my house because it would attract criminals and if there are kids at home, I would worry that they might play with it, not knowing what’s it is worth,” she said.
The tall beauty said Miss South Africa was her last pageant, but she would continue to work with charities.
“As Miss South Africa, I travelled to other countries and enjoyed it, but one thing I noticed was that there was no place like home.
“The best place I can be is here in South Africa. I worked with organisations such as Reach for a Dream and Babies Born Behind Bars, and I would like to continue making time for community work.
“Event though my schedule is about to get busier, I feel I will be able to handle it and have time to be with my family,” she said.