Health & Beauty

Get to know your top 10 Miss South Africa finalists

One likes to cook, another likes to sing and another loves to fool around! Then there’s the tomboy, the dancer and the mimic. This year’s Miss South Africa finalists truly are a mixed bunch.

And they’re a formidable group of women too. The contestants include two medical doctors working on the Covid frontline; two full-time international models, as well as marketing, education and economics graduates and there’s a food scientist too.

Only the contestants who make the top three will represent the country at the world’s most esteemed pageants — Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss Supranational pageants. And we’ll find out who they are when Miss South Africa 2020 is crowned on Saturday, 24 October.

We caught up with the breathtaking beauties to get to know them better and asked them to tell us something weird, quirky or just interesting about themselves. This is what they had to say:

Aphelele Mbiyo

“I played the trombone for most of my childhood and was in a jazz band for three years. I have awkward moments where I think people can read my mind; so I stand there and smile and think of them reading my thoughts!”

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Busisiwe Mmotla

“I am a good dancer. Given good choreography, I can do any type of dance. Growing up I loved Zulu traditional dancing (Indlamu) and ballroom dancing; I used to be part of a dancing club in primary school. At the moment, I love dancing to AmaPiano music. My favourite dancer is Khabonina Qubeka. She’s such a soulful dancer and I love how she uses dancing to encourage fitness and health, something I’m passionate about.”

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Chantelle Pretorius

“For as long as I can remember I’ve always loved being in the kitchen. whether baking sweet treats or cooking a meal. When I was eight I started a little business called Polka Dot Cupcakes and baked beautifully decorated cupcakes for birthday parties and even a wedding. It taught me business skills and was also the perfect opportunity to earn extra pocket money. I also tutored high school maths, science, and accounting in my first year.”

Jordan van der Vyver

“I have a quirky personality and I’m actually quite funny but most people don’t know that about me because I’m introverted and I don’t usually show that side of myself to the public. My first joke I found in a magazine and my mom still has it. It says: What did the grape say when the elephant stood on it? Nothing. It just let out a little wine/whine!”

Karishma Ramdev

“I can sing! I’m no Whitney Houston but I was part of an a cappella singing group at university. Another weird thing is that I broke my left arm when I was seven and have been double jointed in that arm ever since. I can also my left thumb in and out and make the veins on my hands wiggle!“

Lebogang Mahlangu

“The last thing people expect to hear about me is that I was an aspiring soccer player. I started playing football when I was in Grade 3. A lot of the tournaments were sponsored by NGOs, large organisations, and the government. They believed in the potential of girls and were willing to invest their resources to nurture us. This has influenced me, and I want to create opportunities for women around the country.”

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Melissa Nayimuli

“My Miss South Africa Top 15 photoshoot was my first professional shoot ever. Before that, I used to DIY most of my photoshoots which are on my Instagram page. For instance, in one image, I took my blue bed sheets, stuck them on the wall with duct tape, and used lemons from my fridge as a prop!”

Natasha Joubert

“I was quite the tomboy as a little girl. I would much rather play outside with boys and was the only girl in my karate class.”

Shudufhadzo Musida

“I make weird voices randomly to sound like Norbit. When I run out of things to say, I speak with a British accent. I can’t wink or roll my eyes, so I rotate my whole head. And I sing when I’m nervous and make up lyrics for the awkward situations around me.”

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Thato Mosehle

“I love laughing and making jokes; I’m extremely sensitive and cry easily. I was the class clown throughout medical school and I remember how I used to stand up front when the lecturer was a bit delayed, and give a fake lecture. I’m a chameleon in the sense that I can squint one eye at a time.”

You!