Qhawekazi Mazaleni from Gonubie, East London was crowned Miss SA 2025 on Saturday night at SunBet Arena at Time Square in Menlyn, Pretoria.
Shaka iLembe star Luyanda Zuma was her first runner-up and Alexandra township flight attendant Karabo Mareka second runner-up.
Other finalists included Buyile Mashile, Bridgettte Jones, Nthabiseng Kgasi, Zanele Phakathi, Ghee-Ann Rademan, and Gizelle Venske.
The judging panel featured Tamaryn Green (Miss SA 2018), Ndavi Nokeri (Miss SA 2022), Cindy Mahlangu (actress and media personality), Thebe Ikalafeng (brand strategist), and Heidi Giokos (broadcast journalist).
One of the memorable moments was when Mazaleni was asked what skill or mindset she would use to empower the youth in the final question.
“Being able to start with what you have. You won’t have opportunities handed to you, but when you use the tools and resources you have available to you, you’re able to make an impact in your communities, and the larger communities that you operate in,” the 24-year-old said.
Mazaleni holds a degree in speech, language and hearing therapy and is pursuing a master’s in speech language pathology at the University of Pretoria, focusing on autism.
