Lerato Kganyago and Leandie du Randt announced as Miss SA 2024 Top 30 judges
The judges for the Miss South Africa 2024 Top 30 have been announced.
They are Lerato Kganyago, Leandie du Randt and the CEO of the Miss South Africa Organisation, Stephanie Weil.
They will be instrumental in finding the nation’s next beauty queen, who will succeed Miss South Africa 2023, Natasha Joubert.
Meanwhile, the judges for the next rounds of the beauty pageant are set to be announced soon, heading towards the crowning finale, which is set to take place at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria in August.
Kganyago, who is a renowned actress, model, media personality and former beauty pageant title holder, is thrilled to be on the current judging panel.
“Having been closely connected to the world of beauty and fashion, this role feels like a beautiful culmination of my journey in pageantry.”
She said her role was not just about assessing beauty but also to recognise “powerful women who will lead and inspire”.
Kganyago said she would be looking for individuals who are authentic and who have a genuine passion for advocacy.
“I believe in empowering women to be their best selves, which means looking beyond the external and truly understanding their visions and aspirations,” she added.
“I will be keenly looking for leadership, impact and the ability to inspire both locally and globally.”
Kganyago, who was crowned Miss Soweto in 2002, is no stranger to the pageant world and believes being Miss SA comes with a lot of responsibility.
“This platform has the power to open doors and create opportunities, similar to my personal journey in pageantry, not just for the winner but for all the young women involved.
“I am eager to be part of this transformative journey and to help spotlight the incredible talent our nation has to offer.”
These sentiments were shared by Du Randt, who is an actress, presenter, voice artist, model, author and entrepreneur.
“Our country has so many strong women, so it is important that these platforms are there to shine a light on them.”
When asked what qualities she believes a Miss SA should possess, she explained: “I am looking for a woman who owns her own story, trials, dreams and accomplishments with grace, humility and passion, in an authentic way.
“A woman who can inspire me to also believe in myself and to feel empowered and inspired when I am in her presence.”
Du Randt also believes that a Miss SA should be confident and should have purpose, while also being open to learning.
“A woman who makes everyone feel like a somebody because she herself understands her worth and others’ worth – no matter who they are or where they come from.”
Meanwhile, Weil added that the Miss SA class of 2024 was an impressive one.
“We are looking forward this year to seeing so many new faces and those entering the competition for the first time,” she said.
The Miss SA Top 30 were announced earlier in May with Gauteng leading the pack with 14 contestants. In addition, four are from KwaZulu-Natal, while the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga have three contestants each, Limpopo and North West are fielding two each and the Free State and the Western Cape have one each.
Viewers will get a chance to meet them in the reality show “Crown Chasers”, with the six-part series set to premiere on S3 on June 29 at 8.30pm.
They can also buy the Top 30/Finalist journey bundle on the Miss South Africa app to watch the full judging day video and get a sneak peek of the judging process.