"My name really reminds me that being a leader is not about status, but really about service. Living up to that name now means remaining rooted in my purpose even in moments of discomfort. It motivates me to be the voice that creates space for others to grow and feel empowered in the spaces they step into"

"I have come to realise through my speech therapy sessions that language builds trust. It really has been an easy way to say, ‘I see you.’ Being multilingual helps me gain insights into the lives and experiences of different communities. It may not give me an in-depth image, but it allows me to meaningfully connect"

"I am really focusing on playing my part in breaking the cycle of unemployment from its root cause through addressing our illiteracy crisis. I plan on collaborating with multilingual authors, translators and illustrators to produce books and resources that are tailored to all South African languages. And to create literacy workshops for parents and teachers in underserved communities, because transformation really begins at the roots"

"I saw how much she transformed during her journey through Miss SA and what an incredible platform it is for self-development"

"I’ve carried so many of you guys with me and for me it really is a testament of intentional leadership and how if you really wanna see change within the systems that you step in, you need to just start somewhere"

"I initially wrote the book for one specific child, but after seeing how it impacted her understanding of colours and counting, I wanted to make it more accessible to children. I started by self-publishing and distributing the one in isiXhosa, which I now plan to translate into all 11 official languages"

"But now with the support and guidance from Miss South Africa and Empower Youth Africa, we are able to do it on a bigger scale with more resources. I am so incredibly humbled"

"Growing up in the Eastern Cape really grounded me. It taught me to remain humble and the importance of community. In Idutywa, I learnt how success is a collective effort. From drawing water to preparing meals for big family celebrations, if you want to accomplish something it starts with community"

"Hope is contagious. I want to show our youth that your background does not limit your future. When you start doing the work with what you have, you become able to achieve goals you previously thought were impossible"

"To me inclusive education means that a child’s financial, linguistic, cultural and socioeconomic background does not hinder them from receiving fair access to resources. True inclusion is acknowledging potential and providing resources for each child to succeed"

"It feels like I’ve won the World Cup, but I walk - I was gonna say I walk out of this, but really I walk into this as a completely different woman. But I still carry my old self into it"

"Leadership involves responsibility. I want to be an ambassador with deep purpose and a voice that reflects this country. I intend to take EYA very seriously during the coming year of my reign and ensure that everything I and my fellow finalists do, is anchored in impact and can be measured when I hand over"

"I want you guys to see the kind of courage that it takes, the kind of thought and the mindset it takes and how sometimes you really just have to be willing to bet on yourself to be able to take it like one step further"

"Standing on that stage, I felt such gratitude. Not just for the crown, but for the journey that led me to that moment. It was such a moment of validation for the little girl in me who doubted if she belonged in certain rooms, let alone on that stage"

"My heart is so incredibly full. If I’m being completely honest it feels like I’ve won the World Cup. That’s the best way I can explain it"

"It’s still sinking in. I am surrounded by community and so incredibly honoured. I plan to continue the work I have already started"

"Our journey has been so deeply intertwined. Watching my sister on the Miss SA 2023 stage really showed me how attainable our big dreams are. She taught me how to remain graceful under pressure and to really stay true to myself regardless of where I am"

"Speech therapy taught me the importance of language in education. When a child is not able to understand the language they are being taught in, we cannot begin to address later unemployment"

"Most importantly, I would love to focus on how to support struggling learners and how to identify learners with delays in language or with special needs"

"I view the prize package as a seed for my future, not an immediate reward — although I will likely buy myself something fun as well. During my reign I want to create a foundation for my literacy work that will carry on past my reign as Miss South Africa."

"You don't have to be a famous person person to bring about change in the world or in a community"

"You are capable of being great regardless of anything anyone says."

"Before 2016, i was already someone shaped by my experiences and beliefs, preparing me for the moment I finally stood up for myself"

"There was a pencil test [during the apartheid in South Africa],” she said. “If a pencil was put into your hair and when you shook your head, it did not slide out, you would pass for coloured, if it stayed inside you would be considered Black"

"I hope that my activism leaves a trail of impact by Empowering more people to feel empowered to see the power in their voices and use their voices to effect change around them"

"I was being forced to assimilate to whiteness and being forced to assimilate to an image that I did not fit into"

"I’ve always kept that close to my heart, understanding that everything I do is not just for me but for those who came before me who walked so I could fly, who did not have the means to do what I do but ensured that I would"

"You don’t need to justify your place, you are valid and so is your place here"

"I would like to see a South Africa where young people and the tools to empower them — such as education, literacy and employment — are prioritised"

"The most important message is that bravery doesn't have a size or age"

"Too many young people are over-mentored and underfunded"

"Poverty is a manmade crisis"

"I believe young people are not as engaged in various aspects of activism, primarily because of being excluded"

"You can't separate any expression of Black hair from Black identity, especially because for Black people it's more than just hair"

"Bravery can co-exist with fear"

"Laws can change, but people still have to change"

"As much as the apartheid regime has no longer been constitutionalised, racism hasn't disappeared"

"I've realised that a big part of fighting racism deals with the mind — and the only way to unlock and liberate the mind is through access to knowledge"

"I hope that when children pick up my book it empowers them to feel proud of their existence and their identity and it ultimately empowers their existence and enables them to proudly be themselves"

"asking me to change my hair is like asking me to erase my blackness and you cannot separate the two"

"Your greatest power lies in proudly being yourself and that awakens a new level of consciousness"

"So, in my journey of finding my voice to speak up against racism I began to decolonise my mind, unlocking the shackles, and unlearning the belief of looking at Eurocentric beauty as the standard for beauty"

"I believe in anti-racism so much because I believe it's at the core of us solving so many other social issues 12 May, 2025"

"The minute we lose the ability to see the humanity in the next person that looks different from you—that's when racism is planted into the fibre of society, and that's when we desensitize ourselves to the importance of existing in a just and equitable world with people that look different from us"

"I first-hand got to see racism from my identity not being welcomed or understood"

"The generation of Nelson Mandela brought political emancipation. But political emancipation doesn't exist without economic and mental emancipation"

"One of the things that the apartheid regime was very successful at was making all schools in rural areas and townships environments in which it's difficult to come out and be a leader in society"

"I believe that if we can work on empowering those schools, we'll definitely be doing a huge job in society"

"The hair policy is a symptom of a greater diagnosis of institutionalised racism and systemic racism"

"the oppressed — Black people, people of colour — need to get to a point where they take themselves out of their own mental prison and liberate their minds"