South Africa, we have a new queen! Mia le Roux was crowned Miss SA on Saturday night at the Sun Bet Arena in Pretoria. She’s making history as the first-ever hard-of-hearing Miss SA in the pageant’s history. 

But what do we know about our new Miss SA? Le Roux was born in Sasolburg, Free State, and raised in Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape. She is a marketing manager, model, and part-time B Com Marketing student. At the age of one, she was diagnosed with profound hearing loss. She has a cochlear implant to aid her hearing. She credits her community for giving her “the gift of hearing,” inspiring her desire to positively impact others and break barriers. 

In her acceptance speech, Le Roux said it had taken her two years of speech therapy to regain her speaking ability. “It took two years of speech therapy and continued repetition of words before I looked up to the sky one day and said my first four words: ‘Kyk daar, wit wolke—look there, white clouds,'” she said.

Nompumelelo Maduna and Onalenna Constantin are her first and second princesses, respectively. Le Roux’s crowning comes after weeks of intense debate around the pageant and the inclusion of Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina. 

Adetshina, who is of Nigerian and Mozambican descent, faced an unfair barrage of questions about whether she was a South African citizen. On Thursday, she announced that she would withdraw from the competition “for the safety and well-being of my family and I.”

Her withdrawal follows an investigation into her citizenship by Home Affairs, which revealed that Adetshina’s mother might have committed identity theft.

Adetshina congratulated Le Roux on Instagram, saying that Le Roux “represented us all. Making the excluded feel included.”

The reactions to Le Roux’s win have been mixed. TV presenter Nandi Madida said as the mother to a daughter on the autism spectrum, the win was a moment she will forever cherish. “Not only is it a game changer for the world, but one for the little kids out there who didn’t think it was possible. Inclusivity matters,” she wrote. 

Not all reactions were positive, though. Nigerian singer Burna Boy faced the wrath of South Africans on X after he tweeted “So After ALL that” with three laughing emojis. South Africans trolled him, mentioning that the singer was still bitter about the failure of a concert meant to be held at the FNB stadium last year.

Le Roux’s win is for all differently-abled South Africans who often face stigma and discrimination. It lets them know that it is possible. Her win is a win for people like Laura Wagner-Meyer, a disabled Miss SA entrant who received overwhelming support when she submitted her entry video in May this year. 

Le Roux’s win also comes at a time when South Africa is making slow but impactful strides in promoting the inclusion of others. For instance, in July 2023, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the South African Sign Language Bill, officially making sign language Mzansi’s twelfth official language. 

She will represent South Africa at the Miss Universe 2024 pageant, which will be held in Mexico City, Mexico, on 16 November 2024. It is widely believed that this will be the first time a deaf contestant competes in the glamorous event. Our money’s on Mia!