Cape Town - The red carpet was rolled out for the inaugural Miss Drag South Africa pageant at the Stellenbosch Town Hall on Saturday night.And, unsurprisingly, the fairest drag diva in the land comes from the Western Cape.
Mitchells Plain beauty Zilin Ayoki Zhang beat 13 other hopefuls in the battle for the inaugural pageant, which organisers say will become an annual event.
Drag queens from all over South Africa put their best foot forward to compete for the grand prize and the historic honour to be called the very first MDSA 2017.
Guests arrived dripping in bling at the venue, showing off glitzy dresses and high heels, each one more fabulous than the next.
Mitchells Plain drag queen, Zilin Ayoki Zhang, blew judges away in all three categories with her creative outfits.
“I wore three outfits all made by Chantelle Exclusive Designs. First metallic swimwear, then a national costume consisting of a traditional skirt accessorised by African beads and a mural depicting a South African story, and for the main category I wore a red feathered and beaded evening gown - revealed from a ball gown to a mermaid gown,” she tells the Daily Voice.
Zilin says winning the grand title is a dream come true.
“The feeling is still sinking in. I am truly humbled by all the well wishes I have received and would like to thank all those who were #TeamAyoki during the journey and I’m looking forward to a fun-filled year travelling the country doing outreach, but also educating people about the LGBTIAQ+ community.”
Second place went to Muzi Zuma from Pietermaritzburg, while third place went to Chante Herries from Parkwood Estate, also representing the Western Cape.