Online Reporter
Qhawekazi Mazaleni was on Saturday crowned Miss South Africa 2025 at a glittering finale held at Pretoria’s SunBet Arena.
The 24-year-old Eastern Cape native, who succeeded Mia le Roux as Miss South Africa, outshone strong competition to clinch the coveted crown. Luyanda Zuma and Karabo Mareka finished as first and second runners-up, respectively.
Mazaleni will receive a cash prize of 1-million-rand, a luxurious fully furnished apartment for her year of reign, and other sponsorships and gifts.
A young changemaker, Mazaleni credits those in her life as the people who moulded and shaped her to become the impactful person she is now. Her journey to the crown comes not too long after her older sister, Homba Mazaleni, placed in the top 5 of the 2023 Miss South Africa pageant.
She shared with TRUELOVE how her sister’s journey inspired her.
“Walking into Miss South Africa, I just thought to myself, the one thing I want is to take it as a step into self-development because no matter what my outcome is going to be, I wanted to come out a better person than I walked in.”
Her passion for upliftment, encouragement and inclusivity in education was her driving force behind participating in the Miss SA pageant, seen through her therapeutic work, completing a speech, language and hearing therapy degree from Stellenbosch University.
She is pursuing a Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Pretoria, specialising in autism communication support.
On stage, she explained her mission: “To break the cycle of unemployment, we have to start by addressing its root causes. When 81 percent of our Grade 4 learners struggle to read for meaning, it shows us how our youth is left behind far before they have a fighting chance.
“As your Miss South Africa, my heart’s intent is to ensure inclusive education. I’ve already started this mission by publishing a children’s book in isiXhosa, which I plan to translate into every South African language.
“I’ve further secured a partnership with a leading online book seller to give opportunities to multilingual illustrators, authors and publishers and I’ll create literacy workshops for parents, caregivers and teachers in underserved communities, because transformation iqala (starts) at our foundations.”
All about action, the beauty queen outlined her vision to bridge existing gaps in special needs education and champion inclusive learning as a priority for all stakeholders in the education sector.
“I think the first step is to ensure that more resources are available. I’ve started with one book, but I’d love to collaborate with other authors to develop more materials. What’s equally important is getting into communities and actually doing the work.
“I’d love to start with literacy workshops, specifically for parents, because they spend the most time with their children. If you’re able to cultivate a love for reading and learning at home, you’re able to take that into school and into life. And then I’d also have to get the teachers and other educators involved as well.” – News24
