Cyril Ramaphosa congratulates Miss SA 2025 Qhawekazi Mazaleni

Cyril Ramaphosa celebrates Qhawekazi Mazaleni

President Cyril Ramaphosa has extended his warm congratulations to newly crowned Miss South Africa 2025, Qhawekazi Mazaleni.

The 24-year-old beauty from the Eastern Cape was crowned during the prestigious national pageant, earning praise from many.

Taking to his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday, 26 October 2025, Ramaphosa shared a heartfelt message celebrating Mazaleni’s win and commending her advocacy work.

“Warmest congratulations to the Eastern Cape’s Qhawekazi Mazaleni on her crowning as Miss South Africa 2025,” he wrote.

“Our newest national flag bearer is an advocate for the empowerment of women and for the education of our nation’s youth, and her vision for these causes bodes well for her reign and beyond. I wish you well, Qhawekazi, and I extend my good wishes to deserving runners-up Luyanda Zuma and Karabo Mareka.”

While many applauded the president for acknowledging Mazaleni’s achievement, others were less impressed.

Some South Africans took to the comments to express frustration, accusing him of focusing on pageantry instead of addressing the country’s pressing challenges.

Warmest congratulations to the Eastern Cape’s Qhawekazi Mazaleni on her crowning as Miss South Africa 2025.

Our newest national flag bearer is an advocate for the empowerment of women and for the education of our nation’s youth, and her vision for these causes bodes well for her… pic.twitter.com/bNEXJdowjX

— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) October 26, 2025