On Heritage Day, former Miss South Africa Bokang Montjane-Tshabalala (2010) hosted the first Mrs Universe Africa event at the Barnyard Theatre, Menlyn, Pretoria.
Fikile Mdiniso, a 35-year-old data specialist, was crowned Mrs Universe, while Palesa Pusoe walked away with the first runner-up title and Mokganyetsi Mashele the second runner-up.
“Don’t limit your challenges, challenge your limits because if it doesn’t challenge you it doesn’t change you. Looking forward to representing the African continent in Seoul, South Korea, for Mrs Universe. Forever grateful for this moment,” said Mdiniso.
The three were selected by a panel of judges which included actress and businesswoman Salamina Mosese, television personality and director of Ncwane Communications Ayanda Ncwane, author and Isibaya actress, Ayanda Borotho, Dr Jasmine Pega of PJS Global, and Portia Mngomezulu, owner and managing director of Portia M Skin solutions.
Speaking at the ceremony, the director of Mrs Universe Africa, Montjane-Tshabalala, emphasised that although there was only one crown, all the women who took part in the pageant were winners.
She said: “This pageant is a platform to empower women from different walks of life, married, divorced and widowed women. The pageant is encouraging women to fetch their dreams and fetch their lives. It’s about time as African women we stop asking for permission from the rest of the world to consider us to be beautiful, but instead stand tall and say this is who we are as African women and our beauty is multifaceted.”
Mdiniso will be among the 100 contestants competing for the title of Mrs Universe in Seoul in November.