Miss South Africa has revealed its Top 24 beauty queens competing for the crown this year!
South Africa (07 July 2026) – Well, would you look at that – another year has flown by, and we’re already at that magical time when the search for the next Miss South Africa kicks into high gear.
Feels like just yesterday we were watching Qhawe take the crown, and now here we are again, ready to meet the next generation of young women stepping up to represent our country.
A quick trip down memory lane first. The reigning queen, Qhawekazi Mazaleni, was crowned Miss South Africa at a glittering ceremony at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria last year.
The 24-year-old speech, language, and hearing therapist hails from Gonubie in the Eastern Cape, and she’s spent the past year showing that brains, heart, and heels really can go together. Standing alongside her are first runner-up Luyanda Zuma and second runner-up Karabo Mareka, both continuing to fly the flag for South African excellence.
Now, with voting for the next phase officially closed, all eyes turn to the Top 24 – the incredible women who’ve made it through to compete for the crown.
Gauteng leads the charge this year with a whopping 13 semifinalists, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with five. The Eastern Cape has two ladies in the running, while the North West, Western Cape, Mpumalanga, and Free State each have one proud representative flying their province’s flag.
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Cape Town Kayakers Rescue Starving African Penguin Far Out to SeaAmong this year’s bright and beautiful Top 24 are a machine learning research engineer working on AI and mental health innovation, a medical doctor advocating for child safety and nutrition, and a qualified pharmacist passionate about healthcare access. There’s a Remote Pilot chasing her dreams in aviation, an archaeologist championing African heritage, and an actuarial science graduate on a mission to boost maths education in underserved communities!
Creativity is well represented too, with filmmakers, an author, a musician, and an architect all bringing their unique talents to the stage. Add to that a fitness coach focused on mental wellness, a social entrepreneur who’s already empowered thousands of young mothers, and several powerhouse women working in law, finance, and communications, and you’ve got a Top 24 that reflects the diversity and drive of SA’s youth.
Every single one of these women is already doing incredible work through the Miss South Africa Organisation’s Empower Youth Africa framework, tackling everything from education access and youth unemployment to mental health and healthcare literacy long before they even reach the finals.
We’ll be watching closely as this journey continues, and we can’t wait to see which of these outstanding women make it to the next round. Here’s to celebrating South African girl power in all its brilliant forms!
Find out more about Miss South Africa’s Top 24 here.
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