‘I already started extensive prep’: Miss Universe SA Bryoni

Miss SA runner up Bryoni Govender, who will be representing South Africa at the Miss Universe pageant in El Salvador on 18 November has opened up about her determination to bring the crown home to Mzansi.

ALSO READ: Miss Universe SA: Who is Bryoni’s former Kaizer Chiefs star bae?

BRYONI GOVENDER ON COMPETING AT MISS UNIVESE

Law graduate Bryoni Govender, who placed at the runner-up at the Miss SA finale on 13 August, will be representing South Africa at the Miss Universe pageant. A few days after the Miss SA finale, the Miss Universe Instagram page announced South Africa’s representative.

Bryoni, who is Miss Universe South Africa, will be the first person of Indian heritage to represent the country since Miss SA 1997 Kerishnie Naiker. Naiker placed in the Top 10 of the Miss Universe pageant in 1998.

“I have always believed that being different is a superpower and becoming the second South African of Indian descent to represent our beautiful country on the international stage is a testament to that fact. I will be giving the competition my all and have already started extensive preparations,” said Bryoni according to a press release.

“I cannot describe how excited I am to start this Miss Universe journey and, as this new chapter unfolds, I am fully committed to my support of women equality in South Africa. My advocacy is to address and remove the gaps in the progress of women empowerment by introducing mentorship programmes focusing on business and leadership courses, entrepreneurial and job training programmes and skills development training programmes on secondary to post-tertiary levels of education for girls and women,” she continued.

ALSO READ: Miss Universe SA Bryoni: ‘My skin tone is my superpower’

SOUTH AFRICA’S HISTORY WITH MISS UNIVERSE

The 72^nd Miss Universe Competition takes place in El Salvador on 18 November. The pageant was last held in the Central American country in 1975.

South Africa is one of the top pageant countries in the world and has had an impressive track record at the international pageant in the past few years:

• 2017 – Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters (Tebow) crowned Miss Universe
• 2018 – Tamaryn Green (Green-Nxumalo), first runner-up
• 2019 – Zozibini Tunzi, crowned Miss Universe
• 2021 – Lalela Mswane, second runner-up

Rikkie Kollé of The Netherlands will be the second transgender woman to compete at this year’s Miss Universe after Ángela Ponce of Spain in 2018. Camila Avella of Colombia and Michelle Cohn of Guatemala become the first married women and mothers to compete in the competition after the Miss Universe Organisation lifted the rule of mothers not being eligible to compete.

The 2023 pageant also marks the debut of Pakistan and the returns of Bangladesh, Denmark, Egypt, Guyana, Hungary, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Norway and Zimbabwe (our neighbour last participated in the competition in 2001).

ALSO READ: Destiny? Throwback pics of Natasha Joubert, Bryoni go viral