Qhawekhazi Mazaleni Shares Leadership Lessons After Winning Miss South Africa 2025

Miss South Africa 2025, Qhawekhazi Mazaleni, has opened up about how her understanding of leadership has changed since being crowned. As entries for the Miss South Africa 2026 competition have officially closed, her insights offer valuable advice for hopeful contestants who may one day wear the prestigious crown and take on the responsibilities that come with it.

Winning Miss South Africa is about more than beauty and public appearances. It is also about leadership, service, and making a positive impact in communities. Since taking on the title, Qhawekhazi says her perspective on what it means to be a leader has evolved in a meaningful way.

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Speaking about the lessons she has learned, Qhawekhazi explained that leadership is not about arriving with all the answers. Instead, she believes it is about working together with others and listening to the people who are directly affected by the issues being addressed.

“For me it is deep and quite significantly, but I’ve also learned to be a lot more collaborative in community focused. I think a lot of the times we come in as leaders and we are almost suggesting solutions. We often think about what we think would work best but what I’ve realised is that it takes a community, it takes speaking to the people you’re serving as well as speaking to the people that you’re working with to make sure that you come to the best possible solution.”

In another video shared on the official Miss South Africa page, Qhawekhazi reflected on how her life has changed since winning the title. She revealed that the crown has opened doors and expanded her ability to continue the work she is passionate about.

“For me, it just expanded the platform that I had to do the work that I’ve been doing. So it gave me opportunities to speak on platforms like Forbes: Leading Women Summit. I have been able to be adorned in AFI, and they have made the most breathtaking, African, luxurious pieces. I think it’s just catapulted me into a world that I wouldn’t have necessarily experienced had it not been for this platform.”

For Qhawekhazi, the Miss South Africa title has been more than a personal achievement. It has provided opportunities to connect with influential platforms, represent African excellence, and amplify her voice on issues that matter.