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Newly crowned Miss Supranational Lalela Mswane is still in disbelief a week after winning the title.
Talking to City Press from Poland, where she has been stationed while preparing for the beauty pageant, Mswane, who is also the reigning Miss SA, said that she could not sleep when she thought of her achievement.
“I feel amazing. I’m on top of the world, now that it’s all beginning to sink in. I’m feeling excited. That’s the general feeling. My first week in office has been filled with much-needed rest, but I still can’t sleep properly because I’m feeling anxious and a bit on edge,” she said this week.
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The 25-year-old law graduate from KwaSokhulu in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, won the Miss Supranational title at the Strzelecki Park Amphitheatre in Nowy Sacz on Saturday.
However, Mswane – who walked on to the world stage in a gown by local South African designer Lloyd Kandlin from Cape Town – said the win was not hers alone.
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"I had to ensure that, when South Africa was called, I’d be someone you could all be proud of. Even in my moments of feeling low, I remembered why I was there,” she said.
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Miss Supranational is regarded as one of the biggest international beauty pageants, along with Miss Universe and Miss World.
Mswane’s win comes just a year after fellow Miss SA Zozibini Tunzi’s history-making reign as Miss Universe ended last year.
“My reign will be memorable in that I’ve dedicated this year to being more generous, more of service and kinder. I’ve always believed [Oprah Winfrey’s observation] that people can forget what you’ve said or what you’ve done, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. So this year, I want to make all the people I encounter feel that they’re heard and seen, and that they matter,” she said.
A homecoming celebration is on the cards for her when she returns from Poland, though her return date has not yet been set.
