- Bajabulise Thela was crowned Miss Universe South Africa 2026 at the pageant held in Menlyn on Saturday, 18 July 2026
- The Mpumalanga-born Swati beauty is a marketing graduate and founder of a non-profit organisation fighting hunger and malnutrition
- Romanda Hombir was crowned Miss World South Africa 2026, with both queens set to represent the country on the international stage later this year
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Bajabulise Thela bagged the Miss Universe South Africa 2026. Image: bajabulisethela
South Africa has a new queen. Bajabulise Thela was crowned Miss Universe South Africa 2026 at a pageant held at Menlyn, with the outgoing titleholder Melissa Nayimuli placing the crown on her successor during the ceremony.
Blogger Nozipho Mashaba broke the news on X on Saturday, 18 July 2026, sharing two photos of the newly crowned winner alongside a congratulatory message. Bajabulise will now carry the South African flag to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the 75th Miss Universe pageant is set to take place in November 2026.
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Who is Miss Universe South Africa 2026 Bajabulise Thela?
Bajabulise is a proud Swati woman from Mpumalanga with an impressive list of achievements before this crown. She is a qualified flight attendant, a model, and a marketing graduate, bringing both professional experience and academic credentials to the stage.
Her pageant journey stretches back to 2021, when she made history as the first-ever Miss Teen Grand winner, a milestone that signalled early on that she was a force to be reckoned with in the pageant world.
Beyond her professional life, Bajabulise is the founder of the Mambane Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to fighting malnutrition and hunger in her community. Her advocacy work reflects a commitment that goes well beyond the stage, grounding her title in genuine purpose.
Who is Miss World South Africa 2026?
At the same pageant, Romanda Hombir was crownedMiss World South Africa 2026. She will represent the country at the 75th anniversary (73rd) edition of the Miss World competition held in Vietnam later this year. Hombir, who originally finished as the 2nd runner-up at the 2024 Miss World South Africa pageant, hails from Swati, Zulu, and German heritage.
Rachel Kolisi rallies behind Miss South Africa top 24 contestant
Meanwhile, Briefly Newspreviously reported that socialite Rachel Kolisi endorsed one of the Miss SA 2026 hopefuls days before voting closed.
The Top 24 includes professionals such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants, and creatives.
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Tayananiswa Zvikaramba (Editor)Tayananiswa Zvikaramba is an entertainment writer at Briefly News. He previously worked as a profiler, sports, human interest, entertainment, and current affairs writer at Pindula (2016-2022) and iHarare (2022-2025). He holds a BA Honours in Archaeology from the University of Zimbabwe (2010-2013), YOAST SEO for Beginners (2023), YOAST Block Editor Training (2023), and YOAST Structured Data for Beginners (2023). Email: tayananiswa.zvikaramba@briefly.co.za
