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CAPE TOWN. — Lalela Mswane bested nine other finalists from around the country to clinch the Miss SA title on Saturday.

The 24-year-old from KwaSokhulu, near Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal, was crowned during the competition’s glitzy finale at the GrandWest Casino in Cape Town.

Along with the right to wear the pageant’s coveted uBuhle crown, Mswane has won prizes and sponsorships worth over R4m. This includes R1m in cash plus the use of a furnished luxury apartment in Central Square Sandton and a Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan for the year of her reign.

The runners-up, Moratwe Masima and Zimi Mabunzi, each walk away with R175,000.

All three women will have the chance to win other crowns, titles and prizes when they go on to represent SA on the global stage at the Miss World, Miss Universe and Miss Supranational pageants.

It will be announced which queen will compete at which of these international competitions at a later date.

Meanwhile congratulatory messages started to flood Twitter as soon as the dazzling uBuhle crown was placed on Mswane’s head.

The model and dancer, who also holds a law degree, was hailed as “phenomenal” and “magnificent”.

Several social media users were particularly impressed with the queen’s performance during the Q&A portion of the pageant.

Given that the elections are coming up, the judges asked her what she’s looking for in the country’s next leader.

“Somebody who is self-aware, very accountable and encourages critical thinking, innovation and action, but most importantly prioritises the personal development of every person in SA,” she replied confidently.

Mswane’s final statement to the judges about what she hoped to accomplish should she clinch the Miss SA crown was equally strong.

“Our unemployment rate is at an all-time high and it’s our youth that is mostly affected,” she said. “As your Miss SA 2021, I would love to use the platform to not only shine a light on this issue but to also seek meaningful solutions [towards resolving it].”

Believing that the “youth should be empowered to secure their own economic futures”, she added: “It’s time that … we create our own tables as opposed to waiting for the allocation of seats.”

Overall Mswane was widely praised for her intelligence as well as her beauty, making it fitting that one Twitter user dubbed her “the perfect package to represent SA”. — https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times.