The next Miss South Africa will be announced on Sunday, and she will wear a new crown inspired by Limpopo’s Tree of Life!
South Africa (10 August, 2023) — Sunday’s finale will see the next Miss South Africa wear a new crown, and the inspiration behind it is gorgeously local.
Dubbed ‘Mowana’, the new crown takes its inspiration from a safari that never left Ursula Pule’s mind, Limpopo’s natural landscape and a concept that connects all of us as South Africans.
Thought-up by Ursula whilst on an adventure in 2019 Limpopo, the Miss SA coronet is the glitzy version of the Baobab tree, AKA the Tree of Life.
“I saw the sun rising behind a Baobab and was mesmerized. That was my inspiration and I have carried that vision with me all these years. When it was time to design the crown, I thought that there was nothing better to represent our country,” Ursula shared.
As any tree enthusiast will tell you, the Baobab is a resilient beauty. Because it’s essentially a succulent, it’s water-dense and known for its giving properties (people of the past would extract water from the tree when dry seasons left rivers dry).
These properties also give it South African roots in that, even when the land is barren and dry, our people so often draw from inner strength and resources to give to others!
As for Mowana’s first wearer, the competition is down to seven ‘Crown Chasers‘. They are:
- Anke Rothmann (Northern Cape)
- Bryoni Govender (Gauteng)
- Homba Mazaleni (Eastern Cape)
- Jordan van der Vyver (Western Cape)
- Melissa Nayimuli (Eastern Cape)
- Nande Mabala (Western Cape)
- Natasha Joubert (Gauteng)
As for the judging panel, The Woman King’s Thuso Mbedu has joined the chair alongside Devi Sankaree Govender, Jo-Ann Strauss, Leandie du Randt and reigning Miss Universe, R’Bonney Nola Gabriel.
The final will take place at Pretoria’s Time Square and will be live-streamed from 18:30.
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