When Miss South Africa 2023 is crowned on Sunday she will wear a brand new coronet dubbed Mowana, the “Tree of Life”.
Mowana is the brainchild of Ursula Pule, creative director and co-founder of Nungu Diamonds, the proud sponsor of the new Miss South Africa crown.
“My inspiration came from a safari we took in Musina in 2019; from the magnificent baobab tree, also known as the Tree of Life. As you drive into Limpopo, you see these exquisite trees – unlike any other trees – that represent our African heritage" says Pule.
The baobab is revered just as women, who are cherished as sources of life and positivity, are.
Both are symbols of strength and resilience. Pule also used the African sunrise as a metaphor to symbolise the rise of Miss South Africa at the start of her reign, signifying the beginning of her new life as our queen.
Mowana is the first crown of its kind in South Africa and is made up of over 800 stones comprising diamonds, gemstones and cubic zirconia, the biggest weighing 15 carats
Miss South Africa 2023 will take home prizes and sponsorships worth more than R3 million.
The Top 7 competing for the crown are Anke Rothmann (23) from the Northern Cape; Bryoni Govender (26) from Gauteng; Homba Mazaleni (23) from the Eastern Cape; Jordan van der Vyver (27), from the Western Cape; Melissa Nayimuli (27) from the Eastern Cape; Nande Mabala (25), from the Western Cape and Natasha Joubert (25) from Gauteng.
