50 Years of Miss South Africa Pageant History

The History of Miss SA

After being founded in 1956, the Miss South Africa pageant history has not been without controversy, incident and drama. Originally, it was open only to white women and this partiality resulted in South Africa being banned from international pageants because of apartheid between 1978 and 1990. Amy Kleinhans was the first coloured woman to win the Miss South Africa crown in 1992, Jacqui Mofokeng was the first black woman to win in 1993 and Kerishnie Naiker was the first Indian woman to wear the crown in 1997.

Before the 1950s, most major pageants were organised by magazines and newspapers and for many years by the Wool Board, but none of them were officially recognised as Miss South Africa pageants. The 50s also saw the birth of 2 famous international competitions - Miss World and Miss Universe - and South African beauties began to compete internationally.

Historically, the Miss SA pageant was owned and run by the Sunday Times and Rapport newspapers and was later bought by Doreen Morris. Doreen acquired the pageant at a difficult time in South Africa's history and her tireless efforts resulted in the winners of Miss South Africa becoming proud and globally accepted representatives of South Africa.

The year 2000 marked a turning point in the license-ownership. Formerly two-thirds partners with media personality, Doreen Morris, Sun International announced its full ownership of Miss South Africa (Pty) Ltd.

The History of the Miss South Africa Productions

Another historical figure in the production of the Miss SA pageant was the former William C. Faure. Faure directed the Miss South Africa and Miss World contests in the 1990s and was a major contributor to establishing the Miss SA pageant as a world-class production. Prior to directing the Miss SA Pageant, he gained international recognition for the television mini-series "Shaka Zulu", a 1985 drama made in South Africa about the 19th-century Zulu warrior king. It became one of the most popular mini-series on syndicated television in the United States when it was aired in 1987.

Another veteran producer in the Miss SA pageant's history is Ken Kirsten, who in total produced 10 Miss SA pageants. Kirsten is revered for his work in the arena of live special events, covering some of the most high profile events in South African television history. From Miss South Africa and Miss Universe, to the Rugby World Cup (1995), the re-launch of the SABC, the Africa Cup of Nations (1997) and more recently, the Victor Awards and the Miss SA Teen pageants.

The Miss SA pageant was also directed and produced by Mark West and Anne Williams from 1991 to 1996 and then again in 2000 and 2001. Anne and Mark also joined forces for the prestigious Miss World Pageants from 1991 to 1997. Mark West has recently been contracted to produce Miss World 2007 and the very first Mr World in China 2007. So, it is with tremendous experience, knowledge and skill that they harnessed their talents to produce the 2006 and 2007 pageants.

Miss SA 2008 Pageant

For the Miss South Africa 2008 pageant, a theme of "Pageant meets Catwalk" was introduced with far more emphasis on fashion and glamour. A fast paced energetic show was delivered and was well received by the viewing audience. This modern and glamorous theme will continue for the 2009 pageant, but with even more focus on leading-edge fashion.

The pageant will take place at the spectacular Sun City resort on 13 December 2009, get your tickets now!