Miss RSA
South Africa Hibiscus Queen
Miss Protea
Miss Universe South Africa Titleholders
More wonderful information from Matthew Hamilton! This time around we see the various contests which sent the South African representatives to Miss Universe. Here again is the specific information:
In 1952, the winner of the Miss South Africa (Universe) contest represented South Africa at Miss Universe. In 1953, the winner of Miss Golden Jubilee competed in Miss Universe.
From 1960 until 1967, the South African representative for Miss Universe was elected at the Hibiscus Queen contest in Margate, Kwazulu Natal. Although the contest had existed prior to 1960 and still continues today, only the winners from the aforementioned years represented South Africa at Miss Universe.
South Africa did not compete in the Miss Universe pageant from 1969 to 1974.
From 1975 until 1977, the South African representative for Miss Universe was elected at a regional contest, Miss RSA, in Cape Town. The contest was run by the national Afrikaans newspaper, the Rapport, who were also the co-organisers of the Miss South Africa pageant at the time.
In 1978, the year after South Africa was banned from the Miss World pageant, the Miss RSA pageant became a national pageant.
Jenny Kay, Miss RSA 1980, did not compete at Miss Universe 80 in Seoul as the Korean government did not recognise the government of South Africa and refused to grant her a visa.
In 1982, the "Rapport", the organisers of Miss RSA and co-organisers of Miss South Africa caused a stir in beauty pageant circles by renaming the Miss RSA pageant to Miss South Africa. The official statement read that, because the winner of the Miss RSA pageant was South Africa's only international representative, she should be known as Miss South Africa. The "Rapport" withdrew it's support from the Sunday Times pageant.
In 1985 the two newspapers once again joined forces to produce one Miss South Africa pageant only to have the winner, Andrea Stelzer, banned from the Miss Universe pageant on the eve of her departure for Miami.
South Africa was banned from the Miss Universe pageant from 1985 until 1994.
From 1995 until 1997, the South African representative for Miss Universe was elected at a low-profile pageant called Miss Universe South Africa. Although the pageant was aired on national television, albeit a week or two after the event, it never quite reached the scale and magnitude of the Miss South Africa pageant.
From 1997 until the present, South Africa is represented at Miss Universe by Miss South Africa in the year following her election.
Miss South Africa (Universe)
1952: Catherine Edwina Higgins—Johannesburg
2. Jean Brownlee—Cape Town
3. Stella Coutts—Durban
Miss Golden Jubilee
1953: Ingrid Rita Mills—Salisbury (Rhodesia)
2. Una de Beer—East London
3. Catherine Edwina Higgins—Johannesburg
* — Although the winner represented Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe), she was a South African citizen. Rhodesian girls were eligible to compete in Miss SA until 1960. Note that the second runner-up was the 1952 representative in Miss Universe!
South Africa Hibiscus Queen
1960: Nicolette Caras
2. Heather Makein
3. Gwenythe Griggs
1961: Marina Christelis
2. Elizabeth Taylor
3. Delmarie Bekker
1962: Lynette Gamble
2. Hazel Baker
3. Aletta Strydom
1963: Ellen Liebenberg
2. Gail Robinson
3. Pamela Gibbs
1964: Gail Robinson
2. Maureen van Niekerk
3. Poppet Meiring
1965: Veronika Edelgarda Hilda Prigge
2. Shirley Bestbier
3. Stephanie Buys
1966: Lynn Carol De Jager
2. Kathryn Wilson
3. Carol Sharp
1967: Wendy Ballenden
2. Crystal Gow
3. Lynn Edwards
Miss Protea
1968: Monica Fairall
Miss RSA
1975: Gail Anthony
2. Margaret Abrahams
3. Valda Marais
4. Veronica Geldenhuys
5. Renee Abrahams
1976: Cynthia Claasen
2. Ellen Peters
3. Evelyn Williams
4. Denise Wellen
5. Mymoena Salie
* — Note that the first and second runners-up were the Miss Africa South 1973 and 1974, respectively.
1977: Glynis Dorothea Fester
2. Wilma Oostendorp
3. Jennifer April
1978: Margaret Gardiner
2. Lindy Kloppers
3. Pat Malgas
4. Marilyn Albutt
5. Dawn Chapman
1979: Veronica Wilson
2. Gail Rocher
3. Evelyn Williams
4. Lindy Kloppers
5. Alison Goodey
1980: Jenny Kay *
2. Jill Willsworth
3. Denise de Wit
* - Jenny was to have competed at Miss Universe 1980 in Seoul, but as the South Korean government did not recognize the government of South Africa at the time, she was not awarded a visa to enter the country.
1981: Daniela Di Paolo
2. Gillian Lonsdale
3. Amber Cummings
Miss South Africa (see preamble)
1982: Odette Octavia Scrooby
2. Andrea Stelzer
3. Gail Sylvester
4. Lesley Strydom
5. Sandra de Meyer
1983: Leanne Hosking
2. Karen Maingard
3. Kathy Steed
1984: Leticia (Tisha) Snyman
2. Andrea Stelzer
3. Theresa du Plessis
The two "Miss South Africa" contests became one following this pageant, in 1985 (see preamble). See also the main Miss South Africa archive on JPP.
Miss Universe South Africa
1995: Augustine Masilela
2. Zoleka Skweyiya
3. Nathalie Bernard
1996: Carol Ann Becker
2. Johanna Makgalemele
3. Daphne Neethling
1997: Mbali Gasa
All info courtesy of Matthew Hamilton. Many thanks!
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