“She Will Do So Well as Miss South Africa”: Mzansi Praise Qhawekazi Mazaleni for Taking the 2025 Miss SA Crown
Twenty-four-year-old speech therapist and social media personality Qhawekazi Mazaleni was crowned this year’s Miss South Africa at the SunBet Arena, Time Square in Pretoria. With alec answers to questions pertaining to social issues, elegant poise on the stage, and amiable relatability, the East London beauty finished ahead of Pietermaritzburg’s Luyanda Zuma and Alexandra’s Karabo Mareka, who claimed the titles of 1st Princess and 2nd Princess, respectively.
Crowned by Miss South Africa 2024 Mia le Roux, Mazaleni won a cash prize of R1 million, a Mercedes Benz, and the customary penthouse that she will be using as the incumbent Miss SA.
Qhawekazi Mazaleni | SUPPLIED
The versatile belle came into this year’s edition of Miss SA with a colourful background socially and on the online stage. Passionate about children and literacy, the Stellenbosch University alumnus had already independently published a kiddies book titled Amasela Amdaka, a debut written in her home language isiXhosa. Besides being an author, Mazaleni also had a following on TikTok, which she used to chronicle her life and times as a speech therapist while offering pieces of herself by giving her audience sporadic doses of slice of life.
A model of excellence, not only will Qhawekazi be the face of the country, she’ll be doing so while pursuing her Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology though the University of Pretoria.
Mzansi netizens were in awe of Mazaleni, and took to the socials to express their jubilation at her being the one to take the crown.
Qhawekazi, following her exploits, was celebrated by her older sister Hombakazi Mazaleni, who participated in the 2023 installment of Miss SA and claimed a respectable Top 5 finish.
@Ramathabatheee gave props to Qhawekazi for her online presence and putting herself out there way before entering for Miss SA, saying, “Qhawekazi was doing vlogs and adding 11 official languages. They love her so much on TikTok. Her Sepedi was always dusting me. Very relatable. She will do so well as Miss South Africa.”
@Meme_Lipsy talked about Qhawekazi’s ability to build good relationships with her patients, and felt that the crown and the country are both in good hands: “She’s so committed to making SA a better place and serving our communities. Tonight, we’ll rest knowing that Miss SA 2025 cares about the public.”