Durban — The Miss South Africa organisation has announced the top 30 contestants who will be competing to take over the reins from Ndavi Nokeri as Miss South Africa 2023.
Among the Top 30 contestants, Sibusisiwe Zwane, 20, from Shelly Beach in Port Shepstone, said she was excited to be part of the Miss SA contest.
Zwane is a final year Bachelor of Architectural Studies student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN)
She said winning the Miss KZN Queen last year gave her the drive to enter the Miss SA contest.
“After becoming a provincial pageant queen and encountering the issues my province and most of South Africa faces, I challenged myself to serve and become a representative for South Africans, and especially the youth, to be a revolutionary leader with impact.
“I deserve to win this title because I am empathetic and philanthropic, yet fierce in standing up for the things I believe in and being a voice for the voiceless and unheard.
“I am filled with a purpose and passion to become a champion and ambassador for my country and lead the way to a future South Africa we can all be proud of,” said Zwane.
She believes that a woman should possess qualities that make a notable difference in the world.
“A woman should be aware of herself, her voice, her power and learn when and how to use this power effectively.
“While being empathetic, highly attentive and listening just as much as she speaks, she should be open-minded but still objective and maintain a strong opinion on the things that matter,” said Zwane.
She is a firm believer in playing a positive role in the community. Zwane founded a society at UKZN with the help of the School Representative Council called UKZN Upliftment, which is aimed at targeting the social needs of the province by uplifting the youth and developing disadvantaged communities.
“We do community outreach and social development programmes and through my Miss KZN Queen reign I started ‘Serene Sundays’, which is a platform where I host different pageant queens and title holders and talk about mental health stigmas in our society,” said Zwane.
She said her female role models are former Miss SA Shudufhadzo Musida and Thuso Mbedu.
“Shudufhazo is the true essence of using her platform meaningfully through her advocacy to achieve national and international accolades.
“She is a true embodiment of beauty with a purpose and is true to herself.
“Thuso Mbedu shows that through determination and hard work, the sky's the limit,” said Zwane.
She said her mother single-handedly raised her and her twin sister, who is also a student at UKZN, as well as her younger brother, who is still at school.
Zwane said during her spare time she enjoys catching up on her sleep because she normally has a tight schedule.
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