ZABELO Hlabisa has been crowned Miss Earth South Africa 2023. at the gala dinner held
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023, the pageant saw finalists from across the nation compete at Southern Sun Sandton on Saturday, 9 September.
Zabelo from Newcastle in KZN captured the hearts of the judges, Zizo Tshwete, JJ Tabane, Abigail Visagie and Leanne Manas and audience alike with her unwavering dedication to environmental causes.
She said: “I’m glad to be crowned Miss Earth South Africa. This is like a dream come true."
Zabelo has been doing community projects in KZN, which include planting banana trees for children, donating water tanks to communities in rural areas and adding smiles to patients by donating fresh flowers at public hospitals.
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The first runner-up was Belinde Schreuder, Zama Mbatha was the second runner-up, while Duduzile Mbambo was the third runner-up.
Not only was the pageant about celebrating new titleholders, but it also commemorated a significant milestone for the Miss Earth South Africa Leadership Programme.
Catherine Constantinides, executive director of Miss Earth South Africa and a renowned international climate activist and human rights defender, highlighted the programme’s enduring commitment to empowering young women as active citizens and agents of change.
Southern Sun’s head of marketing, Candy Tothill, congratulated the Miss Earth South Africa 2023 winners and emphasised the group’s continued commitment to environmental education and awareness.
She said: “As we welcome a new Miss Earth South Africa and the 2023 programme ambassadors, we look forward to working alongside them to promote environmental education and awareness as part of the group’s environmental management plan.
“We also extend our congratulations to the Miss Earth South Africa programme on two decades of tireless dedication towards building an environmentally responsible country. As a partner for the past decade, Southern Sun is proud to have journeyed alongside this transformative initiative.”
