On Saturday, the radiant Lalela Mswane was crowned Miss South Africa 2021 at an event held at the GrandWest in Cape Town.
The 24-year-old from KwaSokhulu in Richards Bay spent her first day as Miss South interacting with the media.
The Bachelor of Laws graduate from the University of Pretoria appeared at a press conference with the pageant’s runners-up: Moratwe Masima, a doctor from Midrand in Gauteng, and BCom Law student Zimi Mabunzi from eQonce in the Eastern Cape.
She also did a photo shoot with former Miss SA and Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi, former Miss SA Shudufadzo Musida, former Miss SA and Miss World Rolene Strauss, former Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach and current Miss Universe Andrea Meza.
Asked about how she felt when she was announced as the winner, Mswane said: “I really wasn’t expecting it, which is why I started crying (when I was crowned). I was so shocked because I was already so fulfilled and blessed to have made the top three. So, for me, taking the title is genuinely just the cherry on top.”
On how she plans to fulfil her role, she said: “My role now is to encourage, to inspire, to give hope and to continue to work and build on the legacies of Miss South Africa’s past. I intend to live by every word I have expressed and to serve, lead and represent our beautiful nation to the best of my abilities.”
The Miss South Africa Top 3 will represent the country at the world’s three most prestigious pageants, Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss Supranational.