'I'm going to be a voice for all aspects of myself' - first openly queer Miss SA finalist
The first openly queer Miss South Africa finalist Sibabalwe Gcilitshana joined Rian van Heerden to share her story.
Sibabalwe Gcilitshaha is the first openly gay Miss South Africa who reached the Top 16.
Sibabalwe Gcilitshana, also known as 'Siba' is a 24-year-old parliamentary officer from Bellville in Cape Town. A researcher for Equal Education (EE), Siba is inspired by Cynthia Shange, who won the Miss Black SA title in 1972 and became the first black South African to enter Miss Universe. Siba loves singing, finds her zen with meditation and hiking and has downtime binging on Breaking Bad and Killing Eve.
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Rian van Heerden was inspired by Siba's determination to enter Miss South Africa and decided to invite her to the studio.
"I personally think that I am not the first open 'queer' to take part in Miss South Africa."
"South Africa is a very conservative country, and I want to use my platform to change it."
"There is also more to Siba than just her identity."
The Miss South Africa pageant – with host Bonang Matheba – takes place on Women’s Day, Friday, August 9, at Sun International’s flagship venue, the Sun Arena at Time Square, Pretoria and will be broadcast live on both M-Net and Mzanzi Magic.