Top Cape Town hotel to host Miss SA 2020
A venue fit for a queen! The Table Bay hotel in the V&A Waterfront to host the 2020 Miss SA pageant
By CityLife Arts Writer
For the first time in its 62-year history, the finale of the Miss South Africa pageant will be hosted in Cape Town, at Sun International’s Table Bay hotel in the V&A Waterfront.
The luxurious five-star hotel is the epitome of grace, elegance and poise, while the V&A Waterfront’s breath-taking views of Table Mountain, the City, Table Bay and Robben Island ensure it is the most visited destination on the African continent.
It is therefore a fitting venue in a fitting destination in which to crown this year’s fairest lady in the land.
Miss South Africa 2020 will be crowned at The Table Bay hotel in an entertainment-packed event on Saturday, October 24, from 17h00. The event will be screened live on M-Net and Mzansi Magic, and will be streamed live for an international audience.
The Table Bay’s General Manager Joanne Selby said: “Throughout Sun International’s long history with the pageant, it was never an option to host it at The Table Bay as we have always had guests staying with us. We’ve been closed since the beginning of the lockdown, but with the announcement that international borders will open, we are getting ready to do so too. The timing is fortuitous as it is just prior to a spectacular official opening we’re planning for October 30.
“We will host the Top 10 Miss South Africa finalists and a few guests in the week leading up to the pageant. We know that the contest has many followers so we will introduce special Miss South Africa packages for guests who would like to stay with us during this time. We will announce these on our website shortly.
“We can also assure anyone who would like to stay with us that we have stringent Covid-19 health and safety protocols in place to ensure the safety of our guests. Both our hotel and the V&A Waterfront have also been certified by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) with the international ‘Safe Travels’ destination stamp. This confirms our protocols match or exceed internationally benchmarked protocols.”
Chief Executive Officer of the Miss South Africa Organisation, Stephanie Weil, is thrilled that this year’s pageant will be taking place at The Table Bay.
“Sun International has a long association with the Miss South Africa Organisation. For 19 years, Sun International was the sole license-holder of the pageant. In 2019 Weil Entertainment bought the Miss South Africa from Sun International. We are extremely happy that they have remained as an associate sponsor of Miss South Africa.”
The 10 finalists, vying for the Top 3 places and the ultimate prize of Miss South Africa 2020, are (in alphabetical order of their first names):
- Aphelele Mbiyo (24) who was born in Mthata and raised in Port Elizabeth but currently lives in Johannesburg, holds a BA in Integrated Marketing Communications.
- Busisiwe Mmotla (27) is from Soweto and is a Senior & FET Phase teacher who graduated from the University of Johannesburg and is currently studying for a diploma in personal training.
- Chantelle Pretorius (24) from Tshwane, Gauteng, a full-time international model who is also finishing her B.Com Business Management degree through Unisa and has a diploma in nutrition.
- Jordan van der Vyver (25) comes from Greenpoint, Cape Town, and is a full-time model who spends her time between local and international markets.
- Karishma Ramdev (25) who hails from Chatsworth in KwaZulu Natal, is now based in Joburg working as a medical doctor at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital.
- Lebogang Mahlangu (24) from Soshanguve, Gauteng, is a food scientist working in research and development for a large multi-national.
- Melissa Nayimuli (24) is from Butterworth in the Eastern Cape but now lives in Sunninghill, Johannesburg where she works as an account manager for a marketing agency.
- Natasha Joubert (23) who is from Centurion, Tshwane, has a B.Com in Marketing Management and works in PR at a firm of attorneys.
- Shudufhadzo Musida (24) comes from Ha-Masia in Limpopo and has a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Pretoria. She is currently doing her BA Honours in International Relations at the University of Witwatersrand.
- Thato Mosehle (25) hails from Klerksdorp in the North West and is a medical doctor currently completing her internship with the aim of becoming an anaesthesiologist.
Miss South Africa is presented by Weil Entertainment in association with M-Net, Mzansi Magic, Sun International, Brand South Africa and the City of Cape Town.