Photographer: Willem Botha. Hair & make-up: Dyllan Morais
Anarzade Omar
Age: 21
Province: Gauteng
From Crown Gardens in Johannesburg has a BA Strategic Communication in Marketing from the University of Johannesburg and says she enjoys cooking and recently taught herself how to make sushi because the craving was real during lockdown. She admires Oprah Winfrey and Beyoncé and would love to meet Trevor Noah.
Aphelele Mbiyo
Age: 24
Province: Eastern Cape
Was born in Mthata and raised in Port Elizabeth but currently lives in Lonehill, Johannesburg. She holds a BA in Integrated Marketing Communications and describes herself as calm, positive and ambitious. She loves to host dinners parties as she enjoys bringing people together over good food and says people would be surprised to hear that she plays the trombone. works as a marketing associate and is a part-time Boss Model.
Photographer: Willem Botha. Hair & make-up: Dyllan Morais
Photographer: Willem Botha. Hair & make-up: Dyllan Morais
Busisiwe Esther Mmotla
Age: 27
Province: Gauteng
Hails from Soweto and is a Senior & FET Phase teacher who graduated from the University of Johannesburg in 2017 with a Bachelor of Education degree. She is currently studying towards a Diploma in Personal Training at Trifocus Fitness Academy with the goal of becoming a wellness coach. She was previously crowned Miss Soweto in 2017 and won USN Face of Fitness 2019. Her favourite meal is spaghetti bolognaise and her dream destination is Paris, France.
Chantelle Pretorious
Age: 24
Province: Gauteng
from Tshwane, Gauteng, is a full-time model and spends six to nine months a year working in Europe. She is also finishing her B. Com Business Management degree through Unisa and completed a diploma in nutrition at The Blackford Centre in the UK. If she won the Miss South Africa crown and was able to meet one person it would be Nataniël because of his sense of humour, his cooking and the way he is always unapologetically himself.
Photographer: Willem Botha. Hair & make-up: Dyllan Morais
Photographer: SJ van Zyl. Make-up: Reneé de Sambento. Edited by: Willem Botha.
Jordan Van der Vyver
Age: 24
Province: Western Cape
Comes from Greenpoint in Cape Town and is an international model who usually spends half the year working in the US. The Covid lockdown has taught her to appreciate the meaningful things in life. She is inspired by her mother who is currently finishing her honours in psychology and has an older sister. Her role model is the late Audrey Hepburn and it was because of meeting Jo-Ann Strauss that she entered the pageant.
Karishma Ramdev
Age: 25
Province: KwaZulu-Natal
Comes from Chatsworth in KwaZulu-Natal but lives in Johannesburg where she is a qualified medical doctor working at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital. She says she is blessed to have had her family as her support structure during this time as working on the frontline has been stressful “as we are one of the main COVID hospitals dealing with the Corona virus.” If she wins Miss SA, she says she would like to meet Queen Elizabeth II so that she could ask her advice on how to keep her crown shiny!
Photographer: Willem Botha. Hair & make-up: Dyllan Morais
Photographer: Yuveer Karunchund. Hair & make-up: Kay-Leigh Heneke . Edited by: Willem Botha.
Lebogang Mahlangu
Age: 24
Province: Gauteng
From Soshanguve, Tshwane, Gauteng is a food scientist working in research and development for a large multinational. She is also a social entrepreneur and owns a community bakery in Soshanguve. She loves the feeling of adrenalin and adventure and enjoys exploring new hiking routes, running and exercising. She says people would be surprised to learn that she was once an aspiring professional soccer player, represented Gauteng and went to a sports school in hopes of playing for Banyana Banyana!
Matsepo Sithole
Age: 21
Province: KwaZulu-Natal
Is from Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal and is a full-time 4th year law (LLB) student at the University of Pretoria. Her goal in getting her degree is transformation and justice in South Africa. She says current Miss SA Sasha-Lee Olivier has inspired her to remind her why it is so important to be comfortable in your own skin and that every shape and size that women come in are nothing but beautiful. She says she is an introvert but also optimistic, caring and assertive.
Photographer: Yuveer Karunchund. Hair & make-up: Kay-Leigh Heneke . Edited by: Willem Botha.
Photographer: Willem Botha. Hair & make-up: Dyllan Morais
Melissa Nayimuli
Age: 24
Province: Eastern Cape
From Butterworth in the Eastern Cape now lives in Sunninghill, Joburg where she works as an account manager for a marketing agency. She has a BA in Motion Picture Medium from AFDA and majored in television writing. Her role models are Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, because “she is not afraid to speak the truth no matter the cost” and Ava DuVerney “whose commitment to writing stories that challenge the way one sees the world and thinks is inspiring.
Natasha Joubert
Age: 22
Province: Gauteng
Is from Centurion, Tshwane in Gauteng. She is a Public Relations Officer at RFJ Inc. Attorneys and founder and owner of Natalia Jefferys (Pty) Ltd. She has a B. Com Marketing Management Graduate from Boston City Campus. She says she was quite the tomboy as a little girl and would much rather play outside with boys and was the only girl in her karate class. She describes herself as unwavering, compassionate and ambitious and says her guilty pleasure is Salted Caramel Häagen-Dazs ice cream.
Photographer: Willem Botha. Hair & make-up: Dyllan Morais
Photographer: Willem Botha. Hair & make-up: Dyllan Morais
Olin-Shae De La Cruz
Age: 26
Province: Gauteng
Comes from Bryanston, Gauteng and is in her final year of completing a Bachelors degree in Business Administration in Media Operations Management at Boston Media House, Sandton. She co-founded her own marketing company called Swish EP, works as an account manager for a media and advertising company, is a netball coach on weekends with ActionKidzSA and is also a model represented by Pace Model Management. Her celebrity crush is Ricky Whittle.
Palesa Keswa
Age: 23
Province: Free State
Is from Sasolburg in the Free State and has an undergraduate degree in economics and risk management. She is currently doing her honours in economics at the North West University. She has spent lockdown conducting research for her year-end dissertation, attending online classes and completing assignments. She’d love to meet Siya Kholisi, is a sucker for lamb chops and mash and has a crush on Maps Maponyane and Michael B Jordan.
Photographer: Willem Botha. Hair & make-up: Dyllan Morais
Photographer: Will Brown. Edited by: Willem Botha
Savannah Schutzler
Age: 24
Province: Western Cape
From Rondebosch in the Western Cape, is an actress who graduated with a BA Degree in Drama and Theatre Studies from Stellenbosch University. She then went to AFDA and graduated with an honours in live performance as well has having completed a diploma in media makeup and styling. Her family live in Swaziland and she has one brother. She is an accomplished equestrian who doesn’t have a coccyx following a horse-riding accident.
Shudufhadzo Musida
Age: 23
Province: Limpopo
Comes from Ha-Masia in Limpopo and has a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Pretoria and is currently pursuing a BA Honours in International Relations at the University of Witwatersrand. Shudufhadzo – who has a younger sister – says her role models include Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, Toni Morrison, Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Gcuka and Amina J. Mohammed. In her spare time, she reads, sings and practices the keyboard.
Photographer: Willem Botha. Hair & make-up: Dyllan Morais
Photographer: Willem Botha. Hair & make-up: Dyllan Morais
Thato Mosehle
Age: 25
Province: North West
From Klerksdorp in the North West is a medical doctor currently completing her internship with the aim of becoming an anaesthesiologist. She has won numerous pageants which she starting entering after a knee injury halted her ambition to be a Protea netball player. She loves burgers, enjoys knitting scarves, trying new recipes and watching makeup tutorials and perfecting her makeup skills on herself and on other people.