Joalize Jansen van Rensburg was crowned Miss World SA on Saturday evening at the Sun City Superbowl in North West.
The 18-year-old from Pretoria is the youngest of all her contenders to vie for the “Peo” crown.
As a pageant that advocates for beauty with a purpose, van Rensburg’s project “Never Too Young to Advocate” (NTYTA) is an online platform that focuses on creating global visibility as well as audibility for young people.
The NTYTA initiative is pillared by education, graduation and advocacy.
"I hope to use the power of social media to enrich our community with mental fortitude as well as self-encouragement. This is the key foundation needed to integrate our youth into positions of acknowledgement.
"Amongst others, NTYTA initiative includes daily affirmative content, loud minutes, reaching one's highest potential, workshop, an e-guide on building curriculum vitae, global ambassadorship positions and others,” said van Rensburg.
The beauty queen is a digital and marketing executive at Scuderia Ferrari South Africa.
As the country grapples with a stark gender-based violence (GBV) problem, Van Rensburg has forged strong ties with various anti-GBV organisations that aim to eradicate violence against women and children.
“One of our new partners is a non-profit called ‘Unchain our children’, which focuses on combating injustice in various cases, such as gender-based violence, rape, domestic abuse, welfare injustice, and human trafficking,” said Van Rensburg.
The Miss World SA pageant marked its second instalment after Carol Bouwer obtained the licensing and presidency of the organisation.
Bouwer congratulated the reigning queen, mentioning Van Rensburg was not only talented, but she epitomised professionalism throughout the competition.
“You have demonstrated to all of us that you are more than just a pretty face. You are a force to be reckoned with as you showcased your unique qualities which will undoubtedly inspire many others with your grace and charm.
“Your poise and professionalism throughout the competition set you apart as a true winner.
“Congratulations on your well-earned victory, may your success continue to sparkle like the crown you will be wearing called ‘Peo’, the Setswana word for seed. ‘Peo’, represents the process of coming into existence or prominence, the process of becoming visible after being concealed. It takes a strong seed to emerge,” said Bouwer.
She also applauded the Miss World SA runner-up, Nande Mabala, for her tenacious spirit.
Mabala is not new to the pageantry world, as she chased the Miss SA 2023 crown, earning third place. She narrowly lost the crown to former reigning queen, Natasha Joubert.
“To the runner-up, first princess Nande Mabala you added to the Miss World SA glamour and excitement and should be proud of your achievements. Congratulations on your admirable efforts,” said Bouwer.
Van Rensburg will be travelling on an all-expenses-paid trip to the 72nd instalment of the Miss World pageant next year in February, competing for the Blue Crown. The country and venue of the finals are yet to be announced.
“I believe that I have the qualities to bring back the fourth Blue (Miss World) Crown for and to South Africa. That crown is my biggest ambition because it is a vessel for change, and that in itself holds so much power,” said Van Rensburg.
The Star