South Africa is busy celebrating the crowning of its new Miss South Africa 2017, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters. The 21 year old has been a favourite for the crown ever since the beginning, and the beauty looks like a strong bet for the title of Miss World this year. Demi might represent the country in both Miss World and Miss Universe pageant, there has been no official announcement on the same yet.

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Demi expressed her excitement on being crowned and said, “I vow to dedicate the next 365 days of my life to serve the people of South Africa, to be a voice to those who are afraid to, or cannot speak up and to represent the whole of our beautiful nation. I vow to listen, to be there, to help where I can and to recognise that we all want to be heard, we all want to be validated. I hear you, I see you, I am you!”

Demi also revealed how she has worked hard for this day, and this has been her dream ever since she was a young girl. She says her biggest motivator is her half-sister, who was born without a cerebellum and is completely disabled. Demi also mentioned that although she gave her 100 percent to win the title, competing with the 11 magnificent contestants was a bit of a task for her.

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Demi also mentioned that she plans on changing the employment rate of women in South Africa, as only 50.9% of women are employed in South Africa, between the age group of 25-54. Demi is a final year B.Com business management and entrepreneurship student. She is also a part-time model at Boss Models and Vision Management. She was the first girl in her high school to be chosen as head girl of both the school and its hostel. Demi-Leigh was also elected as the Deputy Junior Mayor of the George City Council in Grade 11. Demi makes handmade cards and does scrapbooking.

The finale of Miss South Africa 2017 was a gala night to remember, but the finale was also plagued by a controversy relating to the live streaming of the finals. People were disappointed as they thought that the pageant should have been broadcasted on SABC, and not Mzanzi Magic. It was a disappointing moment for the South Africans as they felt that they couldn’t witness the moment they have been waiting for – the crowning moment of the next Miss South Africa.