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Miss South Africa

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SABC2 SABC3 DStv

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Award Shows

Show Summary

Miss South Africa is an annual South African beauty pageant which is aired as a television special, in which women from around the country between the ages of 18-25 compete to win the title, which they hold for a year.

The pageant began in 1956 and has been held annually ever since (with the exception of 1983, the only year in which there has been no pageant). The winner of the pageant traditionally represents South Africa at the Miss World pageant, and often at the Miss Universe pageant as well.

The 56th annual Miss South Africa pageant took place in the Sun City Superbowl on Sunday 9 December, 2012. It was broadcast live on DStv's Mzansi Magic channel from 17h30 - 19h00, preceded by the final episode of The Road to Miss SA at 16h30.

History of Miss South Africa

The pageant as we know it today began in 1956. In that year Die Landstem, a national Afrikaans-language newspaper, acquired the rights to send a delegate to the Miss World pageant in London.

In conjunction with The Sunday Times, a national English-language newspaper, the first official Miss South Africa competition was organised to select South Africa's entrant for the Miss World pageant.

At first the competition was called Miss RSA (the title changed to Miss South Africa in 1982).

For the first 11 years of the competition the winners were chosen by readers of Die Landstem and The Sunday Times. Both newspapers would publish the entries they received and ask readers to vote on them. Once the finalists had been selected the newspapers would publish them and once again ask their readers to vote.

The winners would then be published in both newspapers on the same day.

In 1968 Die Landstem was shut down and sole organisation of the competition fell to The Sunday Times. In the same year they changed the format slightly - although finalists were still chosen from entries submitted to the newspaper, Miss RSA was selected by a panel of celebrity judges who met with the finalists at a venue in Johannesburg.

There was no "live" coronation, and the panel's decision was published in the press a week or two after the judging session.

The Sunday Times took on the Afrikaans newspaper Dagbreek as a media partner in 1968. In 1970 Dagbreek and another Afrikaans newspaper, Beeld, were amalgamated into one newspaper, Rapport, who became the media partner to Sunday Times for the Miss RSA competition in the same year it was first published, 1971.

The following year - in 1972 - the first public coronation of Miss RSA took place at the Johannesburg City Hall, where Stephanie Reinecke was crowned in front of a few hundred people.

In 1982, Rapport decided to create their own competition after a sponsorship row with the Sunday Times. They called the breakaway competition Miss South Africa and that year there were two competitions: Miss RSA and Miss South Africa, which were won by Sandra de Meyer and Odette Scrooby respectively.

Miss RSA remained the main competition, however, making de Meyer the de facto winner that year.

In 1983 there was no competition at all for the first time since the annual competition began in 1956 (there has also never been a gap year since). Sunday Times were rumoured to be pulling out of the Miss RSA competition, but they decided to stay and made a date early in 1984 for the next competition.

Rapport once again staged their breakaway competition, and once again there were two Miss South Africas: Lorna Potgieter (Sunday Times) and Letitia Snyman (Rapport).

The following year the rival factions realised the pointlessness of the situation and pulled together to form one competition, called Miss South Africa (which it has remained ever since).

Shortly before the 1993 pageant the two newspapers revealed they were "selling" the pageant rights, and after the 1993 pageant - which was won for the first time by a black African, Jacqui Mofokeng - the rights to the pageant were "sold" to Doreen Morris and Sun International.

In 2000 Sun International took sole ownership of the pageant and have owned it ever since.

There were various periods in the competition's history where finalists were chosen after regional pageants (1970-1975 and 1994-2000). Since 2000 contestants have been selected via nationwide castings.

Miss South Africa Winners

The Miss South Africa contest has been an annual event since 1956, with the exception of 1983, when no pageant was held. The official history of the pageant thus begins in 1956.

There were three previous winners of Miss South Africa, however, in once-off unofficial contests.

In 1925 Mavis Alexander was crowned the first ever Miss South Africa, although at the time the contest wasn't wasn't referred to as Miss South Africa - it was simply a nationwide search for the most beautiful woman in South Africa.

The next time the contest was held was in 1944, when it was won by Avelyn MaCaskill.

Wynona Cheyney became the third unofficla Miss South Africa in a contest held in 1949. She held the title of "Miss South Africa" for three years, until 1951.

The next time the pageant was held was in 1956, when it became an annual affair. See "History of Miss South Africa" above for more details.

1925: Mavis Alexander
1944: Avelyn MaCaskill
1949: Wynona Cheyney

1956

Winner: Norma Vorster
2nd: Gloria Keeley
3rd: Virginia Burman

1957

Winner: Adele Kruger
2nd: Jessie Waring
3rd: Denise Nichols
4th: Barbara Millea
5th: Penelope Ann "Penny" Coelen

1958

Winner: Penelope Ann "Penny" Coelen
2nd: Rosemary Whitlock
3rd: Debbie du Toit
4th: Peggy Moran
5th: Susie Pieters

1959

Winner: Moya Meaker
2nd: Sophia Pieters
3rd: Kitty Green
4th: Karen Perkins
5th: Tina Zwijsen

1960

Winner: Denise Muir
2nd: Dorothy Farquhar
3rd: Stella Pithey
4th: Yvonne Hulley
5th: Leuna van Wyk

1961

Winner: Yvonne Hulley
2nd: Marlene Boyes
3rd: Rita Rheeder
4th: Barbara van Rooyen
5th: Pamela Gibbs

1962

Winner: Yvonne Ficker
2nd: Ellen Liebenberg
3rd: Madeleine Usher
4th: Louise Crous
5th: Dawn Nel

1963

Winner: Louise Crous
2nd: Jennifer Slater
3rd: Maureen van Niekerk
4th: Coral Champion
5th: Babette Ruhl

1964

Winner: Vedra Karamitas
2nd: Lorrain Mason
3rd: Virginia Scott-King
4th: Maureen van Niekerk
5th: Marcelle McGown

1965

Winner: Carol Davis
2nd: Diane Webster
3rd: Ann Barber

1966

Winner: Joan Carter
2nd: Dawn Duff-Gray
3rd: Margo Galbraith

1967

Winner: Disa Duivenstein
2nd: Mary McDonald
3rd: Tiny de Lange

1968

Winner: Mitzi Stander
2nd: Linda Collett
3rd: Patsy Goswell
4th: Christa Mentz
5th: Kathryn Wilson

1969

Winner: Linda Collett
2nd: Diana Newman
3rd: Jackie Sayer
4th: Natalie Burger
5th: Adele Diggery

1970

Winner: Jillian Jessup
2nd: Wendith Brink
3rd: Dorothea Scott
4th: Ingrid Bownes
5th: Natalie Burger

1971

Winner: Monica Fairall
2nd: Merle Worsley
3rd: Maria Claassen
4th: Vera Venter

1972

Winner: Stephanie Reynecke
2nd: Robin-Gail Hargreaves
3rd: Carolien van Niekerk
4th: Cecilia Fourie
5th: Daphne de Villiers

1973

Winner: Shelly Latham
2nd: Janet Sanderson
3rd: Theresa Roodt
4th: Sharon Barker
5th: Peggy van der Merwe

1974

Winner: Anneline Kriel
2nd: Ruanne Louw
3rd: Anita Michas

1975

Winner: Vera Johns
2nd: Crystal Cooper
3rd: Rhoda Rademeyer

1976

Winner: Lynne Massyn
2nd: Louise Withfield
3rd: Jan Kiggan
4th: Caro Henley
5th: Andrea Walters

1977

Winner: Vanessa Wannenburg
2nd: Elizabeth Bunting
3rd: Marilyn Albutt
4th: Clare Akerman
5th: Monique Hare

1978

Winner: Yolanda Kloppers
2nd: Monique Hare
3rd: Dawn Chapman
4th: Michelle Randall
5th: Deirdre During

1979

Winner: Karen Sickel
2nd: Gail Rocher
3rd: Wendy Ross
4th: Liz van Coller
5th: Leanne Immelman

1980

Winner: Sandra McCrystal
2nd: Kim Aston
3rd: Fiona White
4th: Saroj Chetty
5th: Annabelle Short

1981

Winner: Linda Phillips

1982

Winner: Sandra De Meyer

1983

No Pageant.

1984

Winner: Lorna Potgieter

1985

Winner: Andrea Stelzer
2nd: Sandy McCormick
3rd: Lorna Findlay
4th: Jacqui de la Cruz
5th: Anneke Theron

1986

Winner: Sandy McCormick
2nd: Nancy Riach
3rd: Marie-Louise le Roux
4th: Meryl Stoltenkamp
5th: Roberta Alessandri

1987

Winner: Wilma van der Bijl
2nd: Robyn Poole
3rd: Janine Botbyl
4th: Nancy Riach
5th: Meryl Stoltenkamp

1988

Winner: Janine Botbyl
2nd: Roberta Alessandri
3rd: Mache Booysen
4th: Cheryl Coombe-Davies
5th: Leanne Kitching

1989

Winner: Michelle Bruce
2nd: Helen Lewis
3rd: Debra Good
4th: Diana Tilden-Davis
5th: Corinne Durrheim

1990

Winner: Suzette van der Merwe
2nd: Olivia Scrooby
3rd: Cheryl Coombe-Davies
4th: Roberta Alessandri
5th: Sandy Bayer

1991

Winner: Diana Tilden-Davis
2nd: Amy Kleinhans
3rd: Sasha-Lee Walton
4th: Olga du Toit
5th: Karen Eisle

1992

Winner: Amy Kleinhans
2nd: Augustine Masilela
3rd: Lisa King
4th: Belinda Haw
5th: Sasha-Lee Walton

1993

Winner: Palesa Jacqueline Mofokeng
2nd: Corinne Durrheim
3rd: Marelize Steyn
4th: Rachelle Russouw
5th: Patricia Lauderdale

1994

Winner: Basetsane Julia Makgalemele
2nd: Sonia Kempff
3rd: Helen Macleod
4th: Ronel Ruthyen
5th: Rethabile Matseke

1995

Winner: Bernalee Daniel
2nd: Vanashrie Moodley
3rd: Nathalie Bernard
4th: Nonhlanhla Simelane
5th: Asma Ephrahim

1996

Winner: Peggy-Sue Khumalo
2nd: Babalwa Mneno
3rd: Adele van Niekerk
4th: Rhelabohile Rhalipedi
5th: Heather van Heerden

1997

Winner: Kerishnie Naicker
2nd: Jessica Motaung
3rd: Petra van Zyl
4th: Tembi Mbengashe
5th: Yolande Schoemann

1998

Winner: Sonia Raciti
2nd: Heidi van Zyl
3rd: Keziah Jooste
4th: Marguerite Rabbolini
5th: Amanda Ngomane

1999

Winner: Heather Joy Hamilton
2nd: Nadia Wyngaard
3rd: Pulani Moraladi
4th: Britta van der Hoek
5th: Kgomotso Chipane

2000

Winner: Jo-Ann Strauss
2nd: Layla Jeevanantham
3rd: Claire Drew

2001

Winner: Vanessa Do Ceu Carreira
2nd: Claire Sabbagha
3rd: Bonneventia Pule

2002

Winner: Cindy Nell
2nd: Tammy-Anne Fortuin
3rd: Bridget Masinga

2003

Winner: Joan Ramagoshi
2nd: Marissa Eggli
3rd: Siza Majola

2004

Winner: Claudia Henkel
2nd: Dhiveja Sundrum
3rd: Sharon Arigye-Mushabe

2005

Winner: Nokuthula "Thuli" Sithole
2nd: Avumile Qongqo
3rd: Matapa Maila

2006

Winner: Megan Coleman

2007

Winner: Tansey Coetzee
2nd: Avumile Qongqo
3rd: Manisha Pillay

2008

Winner: Tatum Keshwar
2nd: Anja van Zyl
3rd: Buyi Shongwe

2009

Winner: Nicole Flint
2nd: Matapa Maila
3rd: Lisa Maree Van Zyl

2010

Winner: Bokang Montjane
2nd: Dhesha Jeram
3rd: Bianca Coutinho

2011

Winner: Melinda Bam
2nd: Remona Moodley
3rd: Thuli Sangweni

2012

Winner: Marilyn Ramos
2nd: Stacey Webb
3rd: Pearl Nxele

Miss World

Traditionally, winners of Miss South Africa have competed in the Miss World pageant (and many of them in the Miss Universe contest as well).

The Miss South Africa pageant was born out of a desire to send a representative from South Africa to the Miss World pageant in 1956.

The first ever miss South Africa - Norma Vorster - was also the first Miss SA to compete at Miss World, in the same year.

Although Vorster failed to place in the finalist positions for Miss World, the following year Adele Kruger was 2nd runner-up at Miss World.

The year after that - in 1958 - Penny Coelen became the first South African winner of Miss World, and the only South African to date to win the title outright (Anneline Kriel inherited the Miss World title in 1974 after the winner, Helen Morgan, resigned after four days into her reign, upon discovering she was pregnant).

From 1970 to 1976, in an abhorrent appeasement to growing world dissent over Apartheid, the Miss World pageant permitted South Africa to send two contestants to the pageant - one white and one black. The white contestant wore a sash with "South Africa" whilst the black contestant wore a sash with "Africa South" on it.

In the year this policy was instituted, 1970, the black "Africa South" delegate, Pearl Jansen, was 1st runner-up at Miss World, while the white "South Africa" delegate, Jillian Jessup, was 4th runner-up, possibly a political statement by the organisers.

This state of affairs continued until 1976, the year in which some Miss World contestants walked out because of Lynn Massyn's presence. In 1977 only one delegate was sent from South Africa, Vanessa Wannenburg. No black representatives were sent.

The following year South Africa was banned from participating in the Miss World pageant. The ban lasted until 1991, when Diana Tilden-Davis became the first post-isolation Miss South Africa to take part in Miss World (she was the second runner-up).

From 1991-1999 every Miss South Africa who participated at Miss World finished in the Top 10, with two first runners-up (Palesa Mofokeng, 1993 and Basetsane Makgalemele, 1994) and three second runner-ups (Diana Tilden-Davis, 1991; Jessica Motaung, 1997 and Sonia Raciti, 1999).

Since 2000, the following Miss South Africa's have placed in the Top 10 at Miss World: Jo-Ann Strauss (2001), Tansey Coetzee (2008), Tatum Keshwar (2nd runner-up, 2009) and Bokang Montjane (2011).