CAPE TRIO IN MISS SA FINALS

THREE Cape Town beauties have secured their spots in the top 10 of the Miss South Africa pageant.

Twenty-two-year-old Bianca Bezuidenhout from Strand, 23-year-old Catherine Groenewald from Constantia, and 24-year-old Jeanni Mulder from Sea Point are among seven finalists from different provinces across the country who have been announced as this year’s top ten contestants.

Two months from now they will participate in the final stage of the pageant which will be held on October 16 in the GrandWest Arena in Goodwood for the second consecutive year.

Miss SA chief executive Stephanie Weil decided to give Capetonians a second opportunity to be a part of the pageant.

“Firstly, congratulations to all our top 10 finalists. They are a strong group of amazing and inspirational women. We look forward to watching them grow over the next few months and showcasing their platforms to the rest of the country.

“Regarding our move to come back to Cape Town, we just wanted to give the true experience of the pageant to the public. With Covid last year, we weren’t able to do so. This year, we are hoping that we will. Moving to the Grand-West Arena allows us to have potentially some public events, but that will all depend on Covid19 restrictions. We want to give the people the ability to feel part of the pageant as everything was so closed off last year.”

Cape Town mayor Dan Plato said: “It is a real privilege for us to be welcoming Miss South Africa back to Cape Town after hosting the 62nd edition last year. The City of Cape Town is proud to partner with Miss SA, and we believe it could assist in kick-starting the economy again and reinvigorating the tourism sector.”

Bezuidenhout said: “When I heard I had made it to the top 10, my heart stopped for a moment and I definitely couldn’t hold back the happy tears. It still feels like a dream I never want to wake up from.”

Groenewald said: “I felt an overwhelming sense of joy, pride and excitement when it sunk in that I had made it to the top 10. The hard work I have put in has paid off, and I felt so proud at that moment. It is a huge honour to be in the top 10. I cannot wait for this journey to continue.”

Mulder said: “Words can never describe that feeling. The emotion poured out of my eyes. Tears of pure joy of course.”