Pretoria – ever wondered what it does take to beat the odds – and better yet overpower the almost crippling Miss SA 2024 controversy – in order to win the ultimate national beauty title? Below are some fun things to know about the newly crowned Miss SA, Mia le Roux – in her journey to becoming South Africa’s most beautiful woman.
▪️Born in Sasolburg, Free State, the 28-year-old wowed judges to become the first deaf person to be crowned Miss SA.
▪️Raised and based in Oudtshoorn, Le Roux was diagnosed with profound hearing loss at the age of one, resulting in her relying on a cochlear implant for most of her life.
▪️ She attended a school for the deaf from age two to five. It took two years of speech therapy “and continued repetition of words” she shared in a Facebook post, before she could one afternoon in Pretoria utter the first four words; ‘kyk daar, wit wolke (look there, white clouds)’.
▪️Her passion for health and fitness led her to pursuing a qualification in these fields and obtaining a nutrition certificate from the Sport Science Institute of South Africa, as well as an exercise specialist diploma from ETA College.
▪️ A model and marketing manager, Le Roux is currently furthering her Bcom studies in Marketing at the University of South Africa (UNISA)
▪️While this is the first time Le Roux bags a major (national) beauty title, her passion for beauty pageants began early, with several titles under belt such as Miss Struisie, Miss Garden Route, and Ultimate Wildcat. Not one to let a hearing challenge stand in her way to achieving greatness, she also made it to the Top 5 in the Miss Deaf South Africa competition
▪️Her life mantra/winning quote: “Vrou van staal, volmaak en fenomenaal (woman of steel, worthy and phenomenal)’. She chooses this quote “because the strongest steel is forged in the hottest of fires, just like a woman’s resilience is born from her toughest trials,” she said.
▪️As the first deaf person to win Miss SA, she beat Nompumelelo Maduna and Onalenna Constantin. She received R1 million cash prize, a Mercedes Benz car and a luxury fully furnished apartment
▪️A perfect reminder that no obstacle is too great to overcome, her Miss SA journey and victory is a win for many people facing challenges in life, essentially those who often go unheard. “I am here to prove that, despite being differently-abled, it has not affected me in terms of what I am capable of. I aspire to eventually help provide cochlear implants to those who cannot afford it and give them the same gift my community has given me,” she told Smile FM.
▪️Passionate about spreading awareness and educating others about the challenges faced by the deaf community, Le Roux will use her Miss SA title to advocate for the right of people who are deaf and hard of hearing, such as championing the use of subtitles on TV shows and sign interpreters at live events.
