Two Eastern Cape women among Miss African Beauty SA finalists

Two Eastern Cape women are among the 20 finalists competing for the Miss African Beauty South Africa 2026 title — and a chance to represent the country at the 75th edition of the Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico. Bongisisiwe Ndumela, 26, who hails from Sterkspruit, and Musa Daweti, 22, of Gqeberha, were among the finalists unveiled this week by the competition organisers. The pageant serves as a pathway to some of the world’s biggest international competitions, including Miss World and Miss Universe.

Shannon Benting, a model and content creator from Northcliff, Johannesburg, is the winner of the Miss African Beauty Miss Supranational 2026 crown and will be SA’s official representative at the Miss Supranational pageant in Poland in July. A Top 12 will be announced in July, with one contestant crowned Miss African Beauty South Africa 2026, earning the right to represent the country at Miss Universe in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in November. The finalists come from seven provinces and include women working in fields ranging from engineering and law to education, science, business and the arts.

Ndumela, an actress, visual artist and technical assistant who is studying drama therapy at the University of the Witwatersrand, said her upbringing and family experiences helped shape her outlook. Having lost her mother at the age of four and her father at 10, she was raised by relatives and credits the women in her family for teaching her resilience. “My culture and family — especially the women — have taught me to carry both pride and humility at the same time,” she said.

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“Growing up, I learnt that strength isn’t always about being the loudest voice in the room. “Sometimes it’s about presence — the kind of gravitas that commands respect without demanding attention.” Ndumela said one of the causes closest to her heart was creating arts-based community therapy programmes to help young people deal with issues such as gender-based violence, anxiety, depression and substance abuse.

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