Miss Universe 2021 second runner-up Lalela Mswane receives warm homecoming welcome in KwaZulu-Natal


For the first time since winning Miss South Africa in October last year in Cape Town and competing at Miss Universe 2021 pageant in Eilat two months ago, Lalela Mswane has finally touched down her province KwaZulu-Natal for a homecoming.

The 24-year-old beauty received a warm welcome upon her arrival at King Shaka International Airport last Friday, February 4. Her busy schedules included a welcome ceremony at KSIA, attending the class of 21 Matric Awards, and visiting the Inanda Newtown Comprehensive School for the handing over of a renovated consumer studies classroom.


One of the highlights of her incredible homecoming tour during the weekend was becoming the first Miss South Africa to visit the Zulu Kingdom and meeting the royal family and His Majesty, King Misuzulu Zulu KaZwelithini.


"To all our sponsors, partners, stakeholders, family, friends, community, and South Africa at large, because of you, this was a homecoming beyond my wildest imagination. I can never thank you enough for your continued support. I truly appreciate the respect, kindness, love, and generosity that has been extended to me and will forever be grateful for it. Thank you to all from the bottom of my heart," she shared on social media.


Lalela's journey to the Miss Universe 2021 competition in December was a controversial one because of the backlash she received ahead of the international pageant in Israel. She eventually went on to compete and placed second runner-up among 80 contestants.

Photos: Miss South Africa

Popular posts from this blog

LIVE UPDATES: Miss Teen USA 2022 Final Competition Results

Image
Today is the day, the Miss Teen USA 2022 final competition is taking place tonight at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada. Fifty-one of the country's most beautiful teens are vying for the title currently held by Breanna Myles of Florida and become the 40th Miss Teen USA. The panel of judges who will have the most difficult task in selecting the winner consists of former Miss Teen USA Kaliegh Garris; Puerto Rican celebrity makeup artist Allan Aponte; Chief Commercial Officer of Senegence Anita Krpata; former Miss Teen USA Keylee Sanders Helmich; former Miss Canada, an Emmy-nominated TV host, executive producer, actress, coach and inspirational speaker Tanya Memme; and public affairs consultant and former chief of staff to two California State Senators Bob Hartnagel. Hosted by reigning Miss USA Elle Smith and FYI storyteller, multi-platform creator and brand builder, Christian Murphy, this year's final competition show is streaming live on missusa.tv . Vie
Read more

Miss USA 2022 kicks off and here's how to watch livestream

Image
Miss USA 2022 pageant has officially kicked off in “The Biggest Little City in the World” with the contestants already checked in and ready to slay the competition. Along with Miss Teen USA 2022, the highly anticipated annual event with the motto "Pageantry Reimagined" is taking place at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno Tahoe, Nevada. As reported earlier, the venue was chosen to honor the late former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst and her legacy as this is the same place where she was crowned in 2019. The Miss USA Organization (The Miss Brand Corp.) headed by Crystle Stewart (Miss USA 2008) has also just announced the launch of its streaming service so fans can watch the live shows on a pay per view basis comfortably at home. While Miss USA 2022 final will be broadcast exclusively on FYI and Hulu Live, the Costume Show, Preliminary Competition, and the Miss Teen USA 2022 final can be watched online. Here is the schedule of events:   September 29 - Miss Teen USA 2022 Costum
Read more

Miss Teen USA 2022 is Faron Medhi of Nebraska

Image
Faron Medhi, representing the state of Nebraska, was crowned Miss Teen USA 2022 in a glittering competition held on Saturday, October 1 at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada. The 18-year-old high school graduate and model from Omaha became the first teen representative from Nebraska to win Miss Teen USA since 1983. Rounding out the Top 5 finalists were first runner-up Jenna Beckstrom of Idaho, second runner-up Cassidy Hill of California, third runner-up Isabella Mosqueda of Michigan, and fourth runner-up McKinley Farese of Tennessee. Arizona (Maya Denise Gaskin), Florida (Alyssa Khan), Georgia (Courtney Ianna Smith), Hawaii (Malulani Paiste), Iowa (Marisa Mathson), Kansas (Gracie Hendrickson), Nevada (Janae McIntosh), North Carolina (Gabriela Ortega), Ohio (Kylan Darnell), Oklahoma (Haleigh Hurst), and Wisconsin (Sage Gundelly) were the rest of the Top 16 semi-finalists. Ohio's Kylan Darnell was named Fan Favorite winner while North Carolina's Gabriella Ortega a
Read more

Miss Teen USA 2022: Oklahoma's Haleigh Hurst wins Costume Show

Image
The Miss Teen USA 2022 Costume Show took place on Thursday, September 29 at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada. Hosted by outgoing Miss USA Elle Smith and Miss Teen USA Breanna Myles, 51 teens were featured wearing the costumes that best represent their states. At the end of the show, Miss Oklahoma Teen USA Haleigh Hurst was announced as the winner while Miss North Carolina Teen USA Gabriela Ortega and Miss Wisconsin Teen USA Sage Gundelly were the second and third places, respectively. Meet the winner: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss Teen USA (@missteenusa) Don't miss the final show of Miss Teen USA 2022 this Saturday, October 1 at 7 p.m. PST on missusa.tv . Photos: Miss Teen USA
Read more

FAVORITES: Miss USA 2022 final Top 16 favorites

Image
Today someone's life is about to change as the Miss USA 2022 pageant culminates tonight at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada. Fifty-one contestants from across the country have worked diligently to get to the Miss USA final stage but only one of them will become the successor of Elle Smith of Kentucky and represent the USA at the 71st Miss Universe 2022 this January in New Orleans, Louisiana. An esteemed panel of judges determines who enters the Top 16. Fifteen will be selected based on their interviews, preliminary swimsuit and evening gown competition, and one spot is reserved for a contestant with the highest fan votes on missusa.com . Who will be the next Miss USA? As we did not have access to their interviews, our list of favorites is based entirely on the contestants' preliminary swimsuit and evening gown performances. Meet our final favorites (in alphabetical order): Top 16 California - Tiffany Johnson District of Columbia - Faith Porter Florida - Taylor
Read more

LIVE UPDATES: Miss USA 2022 Final Competition Results

Image
Miss USA 2022 final show, the 71st Miss USA pageant, is taking place tonight live from the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada. Hosted by American entertainment reporter Zuri Hall together with fellow TV personalities Julissa Bermudez, Micah Jesse, and FYI correspondent Christian Murphy, tonight's event features 51 of the country's most incredible young women vying for the most coveted national title of Miss USA. This year's panel of judges tasked to select the next Miss USA consists of American businesswoman and producer Ashlee Clarke; South Korean table tennis player and model Soo Yeon Lee; American fitness trainer Kirk Myers; American model and social media influencer Olivia Ponton; American fashion designer Aaron Potts; and Canadian fashion designer and model Nicole Williams-English. Who will succeed  Elle Smith of Kentucky? Watch the show live exclusively on FYI. In order to watch the live show, check to see if you're already subscribed to FYI and if not
Read more

Miss USA 2022: R'Bonney Gabriel of Texas wins Costume Show

Image
The Miss USA 2022 Costume Show was held on Sunday, October 2 at the pageant's official venue this year, the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada. Fifty-one contestants representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia paraded on stage in their colorful state costumes. Hosted by reigning Miss USA Elle Smith and FYI correspondent Christian Murhpy, three winners were announced at the end of the show which was broadcasted on missusa.tv . Miss Texas USA R'Bonney Gabriel, whose costume was inspired by the Texas state flower bluebonnet, was named the winner while Miss Tennessee USA Emily Suttle and Miss Maine USA Elizabeth Kervin were in second and third places, respectively. Reigning Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu was present at the glittering event together with Miss Universe Organization President Paula Shugart and CEO Amy Emmerich. Meet the winner: View this post on Instagram A post shared by R’Bonney Nola (@rbonneynola) Don't miss the final
Read more

FAVORITES: Miss Teen USA 2022 Top 10 favorite headshots

Image
One lucky teen will walk away with the title of Miss Teen USA 2022 on Saturday, October 1 at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada. You can view the official headshots of this year's 51 contestants on the Miss Teen USA official website, where you can also vote your favorites. The contestant with the highest number of votes will get a spot in the Top 16. Based entirely on their headshots, here are our Top 10 favorites: Arizona - Maya Denise Gaskin California - Cassidy Hill Colorado - Chloe Fisher Florida - Alyssa Khan Kansas - Gracie Hendrickson Maine - Madisson Higgins Minnesota - Ava Ernst North Carolina - Gabby Ortega North Dakota - Berkley Lundeen Utah - Maizy Abbott Special mentions: Alabama, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Mississippi Photos: Grant Foto / Miss Teen USA
Read more

Miss Teen USA 2022 will be crowned on October 1

Image
Miss Teen USA 2022, the 40th edition of the annual Miss Teen USA pageant, will be held on October 1 at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada. At the culmination of the event, last year's winner Breanna Myles of Florida will crown her successor among 51 teens representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Like the Miss USA pageant on October 3, Miss Teen USA is produced by The Miss Brand Corporation, under the leadership of Crystle Stewart. This year's venue, which was announced in July, was chosen to honor Cheslie Kryst's memory and keep her legacy alive, as this is where she was crowned Miss USA in 2019. Here are the names of the 51 contestants vying for the coveted title: Alabama  - Annalee Story, 18, Auburn Alaska  - Madison Hines, 16, Eagle River Arizona  - Maya Denise Gaskin, 16, Phoenix Arkansas  - Allie Shanks, 17, White River California  - Cassidy Hill, 18, Newport Beach Colorado  - Chloe Fisher, 18, Sterling Connecticut  - Mya Xeller, 18, New Haven Dela
Read more

Miss Universe Myanmar 2022 is Zar Li Moe

Image
Zar Li Moe beat 15 other finalists to be crowned Miss Universe Myanmar 2022 on Saturday, October 1 at the Grand Ballroom of the Novotel Hotel in Yangon. The 20-year-old commercial model from Bhamo also bagged Miss Royal by Lucky Diamond, Miss Beautiful Smile, and Face of Pan Aesthetics awards. She will now prepare to represent Myanmar at the 71st Miss Universe pageant in New Orleans, Louisiana, the USA this January. Completing the Top 5 finalists were first runner-up Ya Mone, second runner-up Thinzar Min Htet, third runner-up Kendra and fourth runner-up Kay Zin Khant. Myanmar has yet to win the Miss Universe pageant. The country's highest placement was in 2020 with Thuzar Wint Lwin who placed in the Top 21. Meet the new Miss Universe Myanmar: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Zar Li Moe (@zar.li.moe) Photos:  Studio Paparazzi / Miss Universe Myanmar , Aw Ya Tha Soe / Zar Li Moe / Instagram
Read more