An ecstatic Ntandoyenkosi Kunene was crowned Miss South Africa at a glitzy ceremony held at Carnival City in Johannesburg on Saturday night.
Tayla Skye Robinson, who walked away as the winner in the swimsuit section was crowned second princess on the night. She has landed a magazine cover as well as a cash prize. Elizabeth Malopo was crowned first princess in the 58th annual beauty pageant.
The 23-year-old Miss South Africa is from Mpumalanga and was a firm crowd favourite on the night of the competition. In a video posted on the official Miss SA Instagram account, Ntandoyenkosi speaks for the first time as the new Miss SA. “I am so excited! I don’t know what to do with myself right now,” she says.
As Miss South Africa 2016, Ntando will walked away with more than R2m in prizes, including a Nissan Duke, a 7 night international holiday and cash. Event organisers say the prize value makes the pageant one of the richest beauty competitions in the world.
In her acceptance speech, Ntando said that this was a dream come true. “As a little girl growing up in the township – modelling around the house and practicing my speech in front of the mirror – I had always hoped, prayed and believed that one day my name would be called as the new Miss South Africa. Words cannot begin to describe the joy in my heart. I am delighted because I have the opportunity to give back to my nation; to inspire little girls like myself to have big dreams; to be a beacon of hope to the hopeless and to encourage young women to work tirelessly towards their goals, dreams and ambitions.”
