“It really does ‘take a village’” she said.
IT’S high spirits and joviality across the country as South Africans celebrate their newly-crowned Miss SA 2022 Ndavi Nokeri who hails from Tzaneen.
The glorious night, which was graced by esteemed local guests as well as people from other countries also saw Miss SA 2021 Lalela Mswane take the stage, in a touching moment to hand over the reigns to Nokeri.
The beauty queen, who was crowned at Sun International’s flagship venue, the SunBet Arena at Time Square in Pretoria this past weekend was overflowing with exhilaration as the arena’s spectators received her triumph with affection.
With this stunning win, Nokeri will represent South Africa at the world’s three most prestigious pageants – Miss World, Miss Universe and Miss Supranational.
In her acceptance speech, Nokeri said: “For a girl from Gabaza to be seen, embraced and chosen to represent her country is a groundbreaking moment. A moment that reaffirms that our dreams are valid, regardless of where we come from. I am grateful for the women who have gone before me who broke the glass ceiling so I could stand here today empowered, fulfilled and ready to proudly raise the South African flag high everywhere I go and to shine the light of hope to all South Africans.”
The 23-year-old further spoke about the significance of representing South Africa in all its diversity, resilience and beauty.
“As your Miss South Africa, I understand the importance of representation, because it is through seeing other women look beyond their fears and their circumstances, that I gained the courage to rise to the call. I will represent South Africa, in all its diversity, resilience and beauty. It really does ‘take a village’, and I am so grateful that my village showed up for me. It is now for me to work and ensure that every success of mine overflows into my country. Thank you for trusting me with this position. As this journey begins, I will work to make it a chapter in which anyone who has ever felt ostracised feels included and reassured of the value that they bring into the world,” said Nokeri.
She also explained how failure had helped her grow and achieve: “Growing up, I struggled with mathematics in school. With every bad result I received, I started believing and accepting that it was something that I just couldn’t do until I decided to approach it with a different attitude. I decided that I am the author of my own story and so I redefined myself as a woman who is capable of doing all things she sets her mind to with excellence. This is the attitude that I carry with me into every journey and it has shaped the person I am proud to be today.”
The beauty queen received R1m in cash in a prize and sponsorship package totalling more than R3m including the use of a serviced apartment at the lavish Ellipse Waterfall – developed by Tricolt and Attacq – for the year of her reign. She will also get to drive a Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan.
The runner-up was Ayanda Thabethe from Pietermaritzburg in KZN, who received a R150 000 cash prize.