Mia le Roux has become the first deaf woman to be crowned Miss South Africa following a divisive competition that saw one finalist withdraw after being trolled over her Nigerian heritage, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported on Sunday, Aug. 11.
In her acceptance speech, Le Roux said she hoped her victory would help those who felt excluded from society to achieve their “wildest dreams, just like I am.”
She said she wanted to help those who were “financially excluded or differently abled.”
Le Roux, 28, was diagnosed with profound hearing loss at the age of one and has a cochlear implant to help her perceive sound.
She said it took two years of speech therapy before she was able to say her first words.
After winning the title, the model and marketing manager declared her pride in representing her country and the deaf community.
“I am a proudly South African deaf woman and I know what it feels like to be excluded, she said. “I know now that I was put on this planet to break boundaries and I did it tonight.”
Last week 23-year-old law student Chidimma Adetshina pulled out of the competition following allegations that her mother may have stolen the identity of a South African woman.
Adetshina was born in South Africa to a Nigerian father and a mother of Mozambican origin.
She had been at the center of a social media storm for several weeks, with many people, including a cabinet minister, questioning her right to represent the country.
She said she had been the victim of “Black-on-Black hate”, highlighting a particular strain of xenophobia in South Africa known as “afrophobia,” which targets those from other African countries. She said she made the decision for her and her family’s safety and well-being.
Adetshina’s announcement on Instagram came a day after a preliminary investigation by the Home Affairs Department found that her mother may have committed “identity theft” to become a South African national.
While Adetshina has roots in Nigeria and Mozambique, she said she was born in Soweto, a township next to Johannesburg, and grew up in Cape Town.