The Miss SA 2025 Top 9 Finalists

Miss SA 2025 Finalists Champion Empower Youth Africa Causes

The Miss South Africa Organisation is proud to announce that tickets are now on sale for the highly anticipated Miss South Africa 2025 Grand Finale, taking place at Sun International’s SunBet Arena, Time Square, Pretoria, on Saturday, 25 October 2025.

This year’s pageant marks a bold new era, with Miss South Africa positioned as more than a titleholder , she is an ambassador with deep purpose, representing the values, aspirations, and resilience of a nation.

As part of Empower Youth Africa (EYA), all nine 2025 finalists are mandated to focus their advocacies on the following key areas:

Youth Unemployment
Entrepreneurship & Skills Development
Education Access
Health & Wellness
Civic Engagement
Pan-African Collaboration & Cultural Exchange

Already, the Top 9 finalists are showcasing their commitment to meaningful impact, with one finalist publishing a children’s book in isiXhosa designed to teach young children how to read and count.

“The Miss South Africa Organisation is steadfast in its mission to empower young women to lead with courage and authenticity. This year’s finalists embody the spirit of purpose-driven leadership, ensuring that Miss South Africa remains a platform for advocacy and transformation.”

The Grand Finale promises to be a spectacular celebration of beauty, talent, and purpose, with thousands of fans expected to gather at SunBet Arena to cheer for their favourite finalist.

Miss SA Finalist, Author and Speech Therapist Drives Childhood Learning and Job Creation

24-year-old Eastern Cape-born Qhawekazi Mazaleni, wants to help young children get to grips with learning how to read and count in their own language.

This she said is in keeping with the evidence that early education in the vernacular is most successful for overall learning and development. At the same time, she wants to create an environment that is conducive to job creation.

She said:

“The early years are critical for childhood cognitive development. I want to expand the concept of my isiXhosa book by having it translated into all of our 11 official languages. This would not only help all children in South Africa learn and develop optimally, but in the process also create job opportunities for publishers, editors, illustrators and book sellers as well.”

Qhawekazi, who is fluent in isiXhosa, English and Afrikaans (and learning Sepedi and isiZulu) said empowering the youth in Africa is crucial for the continent, adding that South Africa leads the way regarding changing narratives and cultivating innovation across the world.

Medical Doctor and Miss SA Finalist Drives Empowerment Through Opportunity and Access

28-year-old Daveyton, Benoni-born Nelly Mashile, is a medical doctor committed to bridging the gap between access and opportunity, thereby empowering young people to reach their full potential. She believes this is the pathway to preparing the youth for the job market and helping to put an end to unemployment in South Africa.

Nelly understands the dignity that employment brings. She said:

“As someone from a very disadvantaged background, getting an education on a housekeeper’s salary; my great-grandmother, grandmother and mother, I carry the responsibility to represent children from similar backgrounds.”

Her advocacy initiative, Ignite Unite, focuses on exposing young people to opportunity through increased access. She said:

“Bridging this gap shows youth what is available to them as well as constructive ways that they can realise their true potential.”

Actress and Miss SA Finalist Aims To Empower Youth Through African Storytelling and The Arts

23-year-old Pietermaritzburg, KZN-born Luyanda Zuma, is determined to use her passion for storytelling to open doors for young people and create meaningful employment opportunities. Through her newly established media house, LeNZ Media, she wants to champion African narratives while providing a platform for graduates to gain valuable work experience and build sustainable careers.

Her focus is on youth empowerment in the arts, particularly the film sector where women remain underrepresented in key roles behind the camera. She also advocates for artists’ rights, emphasising that many South African creatives, including some of the country’s icons, do not receive the recognition and financial security they deserve. At the same time, she is committed to addressing the disempowerment of the boy child, recognising that this directly impacts the girl child later in life.

Miss SA Finalist To Bridge The Digital Divide In Bid To End Unemployment In South Africa

30-year-old Nthabiseng Kgasi from Soweto, is a Marketing Manager determined to help bridge the digital divide for people in underserved communities. She is so committed to creating jobs that she made it a condition of employment when she joined a telecommunications company, insisting that she be allowed to work on empowering projects – such as a platform designed to give young entrepreneurs a space to grow their businesses using the company’s resource libraries.

Her campaign initiative is in line with the Empower Youth Africa (EYA) programme that has been introduced by the Miss South Africa Organisation as an impact-driven concept which will guide the development of strategies dealing with areas of critical need in South Africa.

She says that job creation, including empowerment through equipping young people with self-starting tools, is of critical importance in a country with rampant unemployment. Addressing educational and information access, she adds, is essential, both for human dignity and for ensuring economic growth through participation.

Miss SA Finalist And Flight Attendant Aims To Be A Beacon Of Hope For Youth Employment Beyond Borders

28-year-old Alexandra-born Karabo Mareka, wants to be a beacon of hope for young South Africans who have not been able to access tertiary education.

“I understand the frustration of financial constraints that hamper getting a higher education,” said the flight attendant, who works for United Airlines and is based in the United States.

She added:

“I want to show the youth who struggle to find employment (like I did) that there are possibilities. No matter where you come from, you can access opportunities by thinking creatively and seeking global opportunities to create a life of your own. We must also find skills that we can bring back to better impact our country.”

She wants to use herself, on the hugely impactful Miss SA platform, as an example of “thinking outside the box” to find employment. She emphasised that having a job is important not just for earning money, but also for improving and empowering with dignity.

Breaking Barriers: Miss SA Finalist and Mental Health Practitioner Champions Women’s Potential

23-year-old Cape Town-born Ghee-Ann Rademan, a Mental Health Practitioner, registered Counsellor with the ASCHP. She is passionate about helping women heal their minds so they can be truly empowered from within. She believes that mental wellness is not only vital for personal growth but also a powerful tool for unlocking opportunities in education, employment, and leadership

Ghee-Ann launched her own online counselling platform for young girls and adult women, providing accessible mental health support to those who often feel unseen or unheard. She explains that preparing young people for the job market begins with building resilience and a healthy mindset.

“When your mental health is strong, you are better equipped to seize opportunities and create a future you deserve,” she says.

For her advocacy, the Top 9 finalist wants to create an environment that is conducive to job creation, starting with mental wellbeing. She believes that sound mental health is one of the essential criteria to being prepared for the challenges of employment, entrepreneurship, and leadership.

Miss SA Finalist Bridgette Jones Drives Civic Engagement To Keep Youth Off The Streets and Into Opportunity

28-year-old Cape Town-born Bridgette Jones, believes that South Africans must widen their horizons and think globally when it comes to seeking employment. The flight attendant, currently studying International Management online through the German International University of Applied Sciences, says that through her international experience she hopes to create opportunities and collaborate with people all over the world.

Bridgette comes from the Cape Flats in the Western Cape, where she has witnessed how easily young people can be drawn into drugs and violent crime. Her personal experiences have shaped her passion for using civic engagement through sport, arts, and culture to keep youth off the streets, inspired, and exposed to continental and global opportunities.

Bridgette says that widening the field in the search for employment opportunities is essential.

“South Africa has a large unemployed population. People need to extend the area where they are looking for jobs. I want to use myself as an example of someone who did that,” she said.

Breaking Barriers: Miss SA Finalist Advocates For Women In Stem and Career Guidance

27-year-old Soweto-born Zanele Phakathi, wants to ensure that every child, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds, has access to career guidance and digital skills. Holding an advanced diploma in Business Information Technology from the University of Johannesburg, she intends to use her Empower Ed campaign nationally to achieve this.

“In a country like ours where there is high unemployment, being equipped to enter the job market is vital,” she said.

As a woman in STEM, Zanele is passionate about the empowerment of women. Her focus is to expose more women and the girl child to STEM industries and to encourage entry into male-dominated executive positions. She believes that women must be equipped not only with digital skills but also with the confidence to lead in spaces where they are often underrepresented.

Chartered Accountant and Miss SA Finalist Advocates Ethical Finance and Early Financial Literacy

27-year-old Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng-born Gizelle Venske, is committed to empowering young South Africans with financial knowledge and promoting ethical practices in both the private and public sectors. She mentors her peers on essential skills such as budgeting, building a credit score, understanding interest, and using e-filing for tax returns, all vital tools for preparing young people to enter the job market in a country with high unemployment.

Gizelle, who holds an Accounting Sciences degree from the University of Pretoria, works as a Business Development Manager at a global indirect tax firm. With her background as an auditor, she believes she is in a unique position to champion and uphold ethical financial practices across industries. She hopes to use the Miss South Africa platform to shape the education curriculum so that business and financial literacy are taught from foundation-phase schooling, ensuring that future generations are equipped with the knowledge to succeed.

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