Natasha Joubert may have won the hearts of Mzansi as the newly-crowned Miss South Africa, but Bryoni Govender’s dreams of clinching the title was so close and yet so far.
Like Joubert, Govender was also a Miss SA hopeful in 2018 and placed in the Top 12.
The 26-year-old from Morningside soon started trending on social media when her hopes were dashed and she was announced as runner-up.
When asked what her reason was for entering the pageant a second time, she said she was confident and ready to become a champion for women’s empowerment.
“I want to exemplify the notion that ‘empowered women empower women’ by using my voice and lived experience of never giving up on my dreams and refusing to allow others to narrate my story,” Govender said.
The aspiring lawyer and model is an LLB graduate and a candidate attorney in Melrose Arch.
She’s also the Motherkind fitness award winner and will be representing South Africa at the Miss Universe pageant in November.
Top 2 #MissSA2023 finalists in no order#Bryoni#NATASHA @IOL pic.twitter.com/0rIQWpkpSr
— IOL Lifestyle (@IOL_Lifestyle) August 13, 2023
While congratulating Joubert and Govender on their wins, Stephanie Weil, CEO of the Miss South Africa Organisation, said, “And well done to runner-up Bryoni and the other five finalists who gave it their all on the evening.
“We truly had a strong group of women vying for the crown this year, a testament to the importance and value that the Miss South Africa title has come to stand for.”
Word on the street is that Govender is said to be dating former Kaizer Chiefs striker Samir Nurkovic.
SNL24 reported that the Serbian soccer player was in attendance at the Miss SA finals on Sunday night to support his girlfriend.