Zozibini Tunzi at Miss Universe 2021
For the first time in nearly three decades, South Africa will not be represented at the Miss Universe stage under the Miss South Africa banner.
The organization confirmed during a media briefing that their 2025 winner will not travel to the 74th Miss Universe pageant.
The decision comes down to timing.
This year’s Miss South Africa finale is scheduled for October 25, while the Miss Universe finals take place less than a month later on November 21.
According to the organizers, the short window simply does not allow adequate preparation for their titleholder.
This marks the first absence of Miss South Africa from Miss Universe since 1998, the year Kerishnie Naicker debuted as the country’s official representative under the Miss SA license.
Before then, contestants for Miss Universe were selected through different national pageants.
It remains unclear whether South Africa will sit out completely this year or if another organization might secure the Miss Universe South Africa license in time.
Earlier in 2025, the Miss South Africa brand saw major shake-ups when three key figures, Stephanie Weil, Werner Wessels, and Schané Fouché stepped down, with the franchise already losing its Miss Supranational license to another organization.
One official put it simply during the conference: “There is just not enough time between the crowning of Miss South Africa and the Miss Universe finals this year.”
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