Miss South Africa Organization recently decided to host its coronation ceremony virtually where the winner will be crowned in the first weekend of August as the country starts to celebrate Women’s Month. The entertainment-packed pageant will be broadcasted live on both M-Net and Mzansi Magic. The organization has also launched their new logo with a tagline ‘Face Your Power. Embrace Your Future.’
The entries for the pageant started last week and there have been a lot of rumors and wishlists on who could be a potential candidate for the pageant. Margaret Gardiner who was the first South African beauty to be crowned Miss Universe 1978 shared her wisdom with the entrants of the beauty pageant. She explained that the beauty pageants have never been about looks alone but a lot more than that. She further added that being a beauty queen or participating in beauty pageants can change one’s life but one must drive their own destiny.
Margaret explained that that the title is not only an opportunity to fly the South African flag high but also an opportunity to broaden your perspective of the world. Reminiscing her time, the diva stated, "It was such an honor for me. And I know that each person entering is beautiful, smart, and already a winner. If you don't win, it doesn't make you less. It just means that it was not your path." She further appreciated the fellow South African winners like Miss World 2015 Rolene Strauss, Miss World Africa 1992 Amy Kleinhans-Curd, Miss Universe 2017 Demi Leigh Nel-Peters, very recently Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi.
The former Miss Universe queen mentioned that the entrants should “prepare mentally, be your best you and have fun” during the pageant. “There's a lovely sisterhood of laugher and support amongst beauty contestants, contrary to misconceptions about the industry”, she further added. The diva also mentioned that delegates who participate in the pageant stick together always and they try to motivate and support each other so much.
Margaret explained that she is still in touch with her Miss South African sisters and feels blessed to be able to live in a world where people are trying to stick together and not just leave as soon as the beauty pageant ends, "We have a WhatsApp group, where we laugh and talk with so much ease, they have all inspired me, the way they so effortlessly share themselves with the public," she said.
One last message she gave to the new entrants of Miss South Africa 2020 is "Rise above and stand tall. Be confident that you are enough. That's not just true for pageants, but for life." Margaret was the first black titleholder of the pageant and was the only Miss Universe titleholder from South Africa until Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters was crowned Miss Universe 2017. She is a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that votes on and hosts the Golden Globes. She is now working as a print and television journalist in Los Angeles.