Miss Deaf South Africa 2016 crowned
Friday night saw the crowning of the new Miss Deaf South Africa at the Barnyard Theatre in Parkview.
The annual Miss Deaf South Africa pageant was held at the Pretoria Barnyard Theatre Parkview on Friday night.
A new Miss Deaf South Africa took over the reins from former queen Elzane van den Bergh.
The event is aimed at highlighting potential in young women, celebrating cultural diversity, and identifying a candidate to represent Miss Deaf SA in 2016 and the issues and challenges faced by deaf people.
The gifted young finalists showcased their talents on stage through dance and communication, answering a series of challenging questions in sign language.
One of the sponsors, Saloshnie Naidoo, said the event was a great platform for young, deaf women to be able to represent South Africa.
Juanita Smit from the Rolemodels Foundation said she loved being part of such a life changing event and she wished the best of luck to the new Miss Deaf South Africa.
“My husband and I travelled from Cape Town to support Miss Deaf SA, and we hope it continues to highlight excellence,” said Juanita.
Alwyn Smit, executive officer for the Rolemodels Foundation and Juanita’s husband, said that Miss Deaf SA was about rising above adversity, because the road to success was paved with difficulty.
Among those who attended the event were: former Democratic Alliance leader and Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, Mr South Africa Armand du Plessis, Mrs Globe Riana Mooi, Mr SA runner-up Morné Marais and Miss South Africa Zelda Barkhuisen.
Janie Erasmus from Centurion was eventually crowned the new Miss Deaf South Africa.
“This is such an incredible feeling. I believe the Lord has given me a special challenge. Now I will show my community and South Africa that anything in life is possible. Dream big.”
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