Speech therapist and Stellenbosch University (SU) alumna, Qhawekazi Mazelani, was recently crowned as the new Miss South Africa. Now she is on a mission to be an agent of change in tackling some of South Africa’s biggest challenges.

Minutes after being crowned as the 67th Miss SA on Saturday 25 October, the former Matie (24), who hails from East London, stressed her commitment to bridge the gaps in education in the country through championing inclusive education, saying this is “just the beginning” of her journey of impact across the country. 

Shortly after her win, Mazaleni made it clear that she’ll focus her reign on women empowerment, youth unemployment and civic engagement. “I’m going to create a legacy of change,” she told cheering crowds after being crowned at the SunBet Arena in Tshwane.

Dr Berna Gerber, Head of Division: Speech-, Language- and Hearing Therapy at SU’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), described Mazaleni’s crowning as “wonderful news”.

Currently doing her Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology with a focus on Autism at the University of Pretoria, Mazaleni is eager to use her new platform to advocate for more inclusivity in speech therapy services.

On her LinkedIn platform, she states her passion for speech therapy and how it “combines science with expression”. She’s adamant that children should have access to the support they need, “regardless of their cultural and linguistic backgrounds”.

“Upon doing some career research in my matric year I found a large gap in the accessibility and availability of speech therapy services in our country due to the abundance of languages we have and the gap in equality. I am eager to work toward creating resources geared toward addressing the identified gap.”

Mazaleni, who currently lives in Randburg, speaks isiXhosa, English and Afrikaans and is learning Sepedi and isiZulu. A strong believer in the power of multicultural storytelling as a force for unity, she’s the author of a self-published children’s book in isiXhosa called Amasele Amdaka, aimed at helping children to learn to read and write.

The last born of three girls, Mazaleni grew up in Gonubie, East London. Her mother, who is Sotho, worked as a clerk at the Department of Education, and her isiXhosa father is a manager at Eskom. She attended Beaconhurst High School, where she first started entering beauty pageants. It was in the Eastern Cape where she says her strong sense of community was born.

She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Speech-Language Therapy at SU in 2023, before enrolling at the University of Pretoria for a Master in Speech-Language Pathology. She has always balanced her studies with a modelling career. Her sister, Homba Mazaleni (25), a sports scientist, finished in the top five in the Miss SA contest in 2023, making the siblings the first to reach such an achievement in the competition.

Mazaleni’s goals include to eventually work on educational policy, with hopes to build skills training and job creation in rural areas. She hopes to also promote programmes aimed at women and youth. She’s also determined to break the pervasive feeling of hopelessness among youth, and to encourage girls and young women in South Africa to “dare to dream”.

Mazaleni, who ran her first half-marathon last year, crochets her own clothes, is currently reading Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist for the fourth time and listening to Isitifiketi by Jabulile Majola “on repeat”. In an interview she said she believes beauty pageants are good for self-development and personal growth, as well as creating an opportunity to make an impact on society.

In a country short of role models from their own communities, young women can see themselves reflected in beauty pageants, and this representation gives them permission to dream, she said in one interview.

SU’s Dr Gerber said: “We are incredibly proud of Qhawekazi’s achievement and deeply inspired by her ongoing advocacy for the speech-language therapy profession, education, and contextually relevant intervention for people with disabilities.

“Qhawekazi's achievement reflects so nicely on the quality and reach of our graduates, and we are delighted to celebrate this moment as a Division, Department, and Faculty.”