Miss SA's first day of reign
The newly crowned Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters says she is determined to make a difference during her reign.
In her Miss South Africa acceptance speech she said: "I vow to dedicate the next 365 days of my life to serve the people of South Africa, to be a voice to those who are afraid to or cannot speak up and to represent the whole of our beautiful nation. I vow to listen, to be there, to help where I can and to recognise that we all want to be heard, we all want to be validated. I hear you, I see you, I am you!"
Before she was crowned Miss South Africa, Nel-Peters had completed her B.Com in business management and entrepreneurship and was a part-time model.
"As a young girl, I would watch the Miss South Africa competition wishing with all my heart that one day too I would be able to walk on that stage just like those glamorous women I saw on television," she said.
The 21-year-old says that her dream finally came true.
"This dream of mine was shared by my family, friends and those who knew me. But little did I know how blessed I would be with support of people all over the world dreaming this dream with me," she said.