University of Pretoria (UP) alumna and reigning Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane was recently crowned Miss Supranational 2022.

Miss Supranational is an annual international beauty pageant run by the World Beauty Association. The first edition of the pageant was held in Poland in 2009, and this year’s event also took place in the country, in Nowy Sącz.

Miss Supranational 2021, Namibian beauty queen Chanique Rabe, crowned Mswane, who walked away with a cash prize of $35 000 (about R597 000). The 25-year-old, who graduated from UP with a Bachelor of Law degree in 2020, also made history by becoming the first black woman to be crowned Miss Supranational in the pageant’s 13-year existence; additionally, she is the second candidate from Africa to succeed.

“I am deeply thankful to all the amazing people who have supported and uplifted me,” Mswane told News24. “I couldn’t have done it without them. I want to thank the organisers of Miss Supranational, the Polish people, all my fellow contestants, the Miss South Africa organisation and my South African fans. This title is not mine alone – it is South Africa’s victory.”

During the pageant’s question-and-answer session, the beauty queen, who hails from KwaSokhulu in KwaZulu-Natal, highlighted the importance of instilling an “attitude of gratitude” every day.

“I used to suffer from losing things that I don’t have,” she said. “It stems from fear of perfection or the pressures of the world, and trying to seek from happiness that you don’t have. An attitude of gratitude should be something that we instil every day.”

The reigning Miss South Africa also represented the country at the Miss Universe pageant, where she was crowned second runner-up.

Through her Miss SA campaign #BeReady, Mswane plans to put the spotlight on youth employment.

“[My campaign] focuses on youth employment from the perspective of no longer waiting for opportunities from the state, but instead empowering youth by providing them with entrepreneurial skills to take charge economically.”