Miss South Africa runner-ups have traditionally taken centre stage at the Miss Supranational pageant, while the winner represents South Africa at either Miss Universe or Miss World. However, this year, the Miss South Africa organisation has made the decision not to participate in the upcoming Miss Supranational competition, which will be held in Poland next month. The organisation has stated that it will not be renewing its license for the event.
Miss Supranational is an international beauty pageant that was established in 2009, with most of the contests taking place in Poland. In 2016, a parallel male contest, Mister Supranational, was introduced.
South Africa has been a regular participant at Miss Supranational, with Miss SA runner-ups often representing the country at the competition. In 2022, Miss SA winner Lalela Mswane surprised many by participating and ultimately winning the pageant. The following year, Ayanda Thabethe, the Miss SA 2022 runner-up, represented South Africa at Miss Supranational 2023.
In 2023, former Miss SA Jo-Ann Strauss even had the opportunity to host the Miss Supranational pageant. Last year, Bryoni Govender, who was the first runner-up in Miss SA 2023, represented South Africa at Miss Supranational.
This year, Nompumelelo Maduna was expected to represent South Africa at Miss Supranational. However, with the decision by the Miss SA organisation not to participate, South Africa will not be involved in the competition.
The decision to withdraw from Miss Supranational comes amidst a week of controversy for Miss SA Mia le Roux. Recently, she had to respond to online questions about her response on the red carpet at the Metro FM Awards. When asked about her favorite music artist, Le Roux revealed that she is deaf and does not listen to music.
While some praised Le Roux for her honesty, others felt that the question was inappropriate given her hearing impairment. The incident sparked a debate about how the media should approach sensitive topics with public figures.
Despite the controversy, Miss SA remains committed to empowering women and representing South Africa on the international stage. While they will not be participating in Miss Supranational this year, the organisation continues to support their titleholders in their respective journeys.
