TEARS of joy, laughter and loud cheering could be heard when the family, friends and colleagues of Bryoni Govender gathered to bid her farewell in Joburg on Friday, 27 October.
The 26-year-old will represent South Africa at the 72and Miss Universe on 17 November 2023 in San Salvador in El Salvador. She was appointed Miss Universe South Africa 2023 after placing as first runner-up at Miss South Africa 2023.
Natasha Roubert, Miss South Africa 2023, was the programme director at the farewell event and she said she was Bryoni’s roommate leading up to the Miss South Africa competition.
“I admired this girl, hey. The skin, the hair, she’s tall. I was staring at her constantly. I'm just so excited for her because this is such an incredible opportunity to represent South Africa and to wear that green and gold,” she said.
A very emotional Bryoni said a year ago, she never thought she'd be giving a speech at her farewell party to compete at the world cup of pageants.
“My life has taken a direction that I never ever expected, but I dreamt of. I dreamt the wildest dream that sometimes it would even scare me. I imaged even the unimaginable and today I'm standing here with humility,” she said.
She said her dream was to always challenge the status quo.
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“It was to have my voice heard and to live in purpose and I'm finally doing that,” she said.
Bryoni said she entered Miss South Africa in 2018 and after making it to the top 12, she walked away and prioritised her education.
“I knew that if I decided to come back to the competition, I needed to have a voice of relevance because when I spoke, people would listen. I needed to have something of value to say and that’s exactly what I did,” she said.
Bryoni showed off two of the garments she will be wearing on the Miss Universe stage, which were designed by Casey Jeanne.
Her national costume is an African-Indian fusion and celebration of her heritage. It was inspired by a sari and is adorned with traditional Zulu beads in a pattern inspired by an Ndebele print.
