Miss South Africa Brings Stories, Smiles and Spring Day Joy to Alexandra

Photo Credit: Qhawekazi Mazaleni via Instagram

Miss South Africa Qhawekazi Mazaleni helped bring National Book Week to life in Alexandra, showing children that stories can spark imagination, joy, connection and a powerful sense of belonging. And she got soaked in the excitement of it all!

Johannesburg, South Africa (04 September 2026) – There is something special about the moment a child gets lost in a good story. That magic came to life when Miss South Africa Qhawekazi Mazaleni kicked off National Book Week at Alexandra’s Third Avenue Children’s Library with a reading of the local South African story Yes Yanga by Refiloe Moahloli.

During the visit, children gathered in the play area and explored the story of a young boy who discovers his love and talent for cricket while playing three-tin with his friends.

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A post shared by Qhawekazi Mazaleni (@qhawemazaleni)

For Qhawekazi, building literacy in South Africa means making reading engaging, meaningful and accessible for children.

“We read the story in English, but I made sure to also read it in another language so every child could understand and follow along. We then played a game of cricket, which was brilliant because they had seen themselves in the story and then got to experience the character’s emotions,” Qhawekazi shared.

Judging by the video of the special afternoon, Qhawekazi had just as much fun as the young ones. And because the visit happened to fall on Spring Day, September 1^st, the children thought it only fitting to make a splash – soaking the beloved Miss SA with buckets of water. The giggles and laughter were priceless!

In the lead-up to the International Day of Literacy, the day was a wonderful celebration of literacy that felt engaging, inclusive and joyful for all the children.

By the end of the day, one thing stood out: reading is much more than simply taking in words on a page. For a child, it unlocks the ability to dream, to learn and to see themselves represented in ways they may not on a typical day.