MISS SOUTH AFRICA 2024
MIA LE ROUX
Mia le Roux was crowned Miss South Africa 2024 on 10 August 2024, the first differently abled person to wear the crown.
Le Roux was born in the Free State on 27 June 1995 and was raised in Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape in South Africa.
She attended Oudtshoorn Junior Primary School and completed her high school studies at Oudtshoorn High School. Mia has a nutrition certificate from the Sport Science Institute of South Africa as well as an exercise specialist diploma from eta College. At the time of her crowning, she was working as a marketing manager for a start up company and studying for a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing part time at Unisa.
Le Roux is one of two children – she has an older brother Schalk. She credits her parents Schalk and Liesel le Roux for teaching her resilience: “They have instilled within me a deep sense of ‘sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me’.”
Says Le Roux: “I have made it my mission to spread awareness and educate wherever I am able about the challenges faced by the deaf. We are not in need of sympathy; being deaf does not affect our intelligence and capability. We just need a little bit of help in terms of accessibility and inclusivity such as subtitles on TV shows, advertisements and sign interpreters at live shows. I aspire to eventually help provide cochlear implants to those who cannot afford it and give them the same gift my community has given me.”
The reigning Miss South Africa lists the qualities she believes women should possess in order to make a difference as resilience, a gentle perseverance, courage and to always be unfailingly kind without ever forgetting her roots. She names her local female role models as former Miss South Africa title holders Shudufhadzo Musida and Zozibini Tunzi (also Miss Universe) because they dared to be different and did it with grace. Her international role model is Bethany Hamilton who broke barriers in surfing after losing her arm during a shark attack.
Five short facts about MIA
- She has the softest heart for animals and said she would spend some of her Miss South Africa prize money buying a pet.
- She is a big foodie and is a deft hand in the kitchen.
- She loves doing scientific experiments to create organic and highly bioavailable products such as food or cosmetics.
- She often received awards for being a bookworm during her school years.
- She attended the Carel du Toit Centre from the age of one up until she was five years old. Carel du Toit is where the deaf learn to speak. She received a life changing cochlear implant at the age of two and it took a further two years of speech therapy and continued repetition of words before, at the age of four, she looked up to the sky and said her first words: “Kyk daar, wit wolke.” (“Look there, white clouds.” )
MIA IN ACTION
