Another Limpopo beauty will take to the international stage for the Miss Universe pageant.
Ndavi Nokeri, Miss South Africa 2022, is preparing to travel to New Orleans, Louisiana, for the pageant’s 71st edition on January 14, 2023.
Nokeri is the third winner from Limpopo, following Shudufhadzo Musida in 2020. (the first since Bokang Montjane-Tshabalala in 2010). She confidently expressed her readiness ahead of her December 31 departure for the United States, signalling the poetic beginning of another chapter in her dream as a beauty queen.
“With the reveal and getting everyone on board and excited, it really made everything much more real and that comes with so much more excitement and makes it real. I’m very excited and have been working on my preparations,” Nokeri said.
Nokeri proudly displayed her national costume and teased her pageant outfits through her farewell gown at an official farewell event hosted in Sandton by the Miss South Africa organisation (designed by Juan Visser of Juan William Aria). Nokeri’s cultural identity was important not only in her journey to the crown, but also in her costume for the Miss Universe national costume competition.
“From the very beginning of my Miss South Africa journey, I’ve always wanted to highlight the importance of putting my culture in the spotlight because that is something I never saw. It was important that wherever I go that should shine through, that yes, I am African and South African, at the core I am Tsonga and that makes me different,” Nokeri explained.
Nokeri debuted a short, beaded, strapless yellow dress with yellow beaded shoulder appliques and a high neck detail designed by Sello Medupe of Scalo Designs and Henk Henderson of Henderson Worx. Along with a pink African Lily headpiece, she will wear a pair of wings shaped like the African continent, with the left panel displaying all 54 African flags and the right panel displaying the South African flag.
Werner Wessels, Miss South Africa creative director, stated, “For the first time in our national costume, we also wanted to have Africa represented. One part of the wing will be the South African flag which we are proud to carry across the world stage.”
“With the wings, we wanted to showcase flight and represent something that is ascending because African women in the world are busy rising; we are seeing this in so many pop culture moments such as The Woman King and Wakanda Forever. Audiences are really taking notice of African culture – specifically focused on African women – and Ndavi is proud to represent that.”
Nokeri stated in her game plan that she intended to use her growth as Miss South Africa and the launch of her education advocacy campaign (Ed-Unite) to catch the judges’ attention.
Nokeri stated that part of her preparations included seeking advice from former queens such as Zozibini Tunzi, Tamryn Green, Miss Supranational 2022 Lalela Mswane, and Musida on how to deal with the pressure of the competition.
Natasha Joubert, the previous pageant’s first runner-up, did not make the top twenty. South Africa’s consistent run, which yielded two titles, came to an end with her placement (Demi-Leigh Nel Pieters in 2017 and Zozibini Tunzi in 2019 respectively). Nokeri is confident that her drive and competitive nature will propel her to the top of the Miss Universe pageant.
But that is not her ultimate goal as Miss South Africa; it is to advocate for equal educational opportunities and to make a positive difference in our country through the platform.
“We can look at Shudufhadzo and she’s now a UN Women ambassador advocating mental health. We look at Zozi, she is an actress. We look at Demi-Leigh, she is doing amazing work with American organisations to give back. The impact lives beyond that one year of reign,” Nokeri said.
“The women on this platform always do more and become real leaders that drive change, and I think pageants show that our femininity can no longer be seen as weakness. It’s a space that demands respect for women.”
Main Image:Willem Botha/Miss SA
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