Miss Supranational South Africa has entered another new chapter, with former Mrs South Africa Joani Jacobs taking over the national franchise from former Miss South Africa Bokang Montjane-Tshabalala.
Jacobs, who has led the Mrs South Africa organisation for more than a decade, will now head Miss Supranational South Africa alongside a team largely drawn from the Mrs South Africa operation.
The change comes just months after Montjane-Tshabalala’s African Beauty International had expanded its South African pageant portfolio to include the country’s Miss Universe, Miss Supranational and Miss World licences.
The latest development therefore marks another significant change in the increasingly competitive South African pageant industry.
A new era under Joani Jacobs
The new Miss Supranational South Africa leadership was announced this week, with Jacobs set to oversee the local franchise and a national search and development programme for the country’s next representative.
Jacobs said the opportunity was about more than simply selecting another beauty queen.
“There is something incredibly exciting about what South African women can bring to this competition,” Jacobs said.
“Lalela’s win showed that we can compete at the very highest level. We now have the chance to build on that legacy and give the next woman the kind of preparation and support that allows her to really make the most of everything that comes with it.”
The move comes four years after Lalela Mswane became the first South African woman to win the international Miss Supranational title in 2022.
From Lalela Mswane to a new generation
Mswane’s 2022 victory remains an important part of South Africa’s Miss Supranational history.
Her win demonstrated that South African contestants could compete successfully on the international stage and brought renewed attention to the franchise locally.
The Miss Supranational competition, which was founded in Poland in 2009, has developed into an international pageant featuring contestants from countries around the world.
The competition is staged as part of the Festival of Beauty in Nowy Sącz, Poland, and places emphasis not only on the final show but also on contestants’ communication skills, public appearances, interviews, presentation and social-impact work.
Jacobs says the intention is to build on Mswane’s legacy while ensuring the next South African representative is properly prepared for the opportunities that can come with an international title.
“Winning should be the beginning of the journey, rather than the destination,” Jacobs said.
“Our role is not simply to prepare someone to win a competition, but to prepare them for what may follow from having that international platform, and to help them understand how they can use their influence meaningfully.”
Bokang Montjane-Tshabalala’s short but significant tenure
The change follows a relatively short period in which Montjane-Tshabalala controlled the Miss Supranational South Africa franchise.
In May 2025, the Miss South Africa organisation announced that it would not renew its Miss Supranational licence and would not participate in that year’s international competition.
Montjane-Tshabalala subsequently announced that she had been appointed national director of Miss Supranational South Africa.
Her company, African Beauty International, later expanded its interests in the South African pageant market.
By 2025, ABI had secured the Miss Universe South Africa licence and the Miss Supranational South Africa licence. In June 2026, it also secured the Miss World South Africa franchise, effectively putting the three major international pageants under the same South African leadership.
Montjane-Tshabalala previously described her approach as being informed by her own experience of competing internationally.
“I have walked those stages. I have stood under those lights as a competitor, felt what it means to carry the South African flag into those arenas, and I know – deeply and personally – what is at stake when a young woman steps out to represent this country,” she said after expanding her pageant portfolio.
“That lived experience is not something you can manufacture. It is the foundation everything I am building now rests on.”
She added: “South Africa will not just participate in these competitions. South Africa will compete to win.”
Shannon Benting was Montjane-Tshabalala’s Miss Supranational SA
One of the most important developments during Montjane-Tshabalala’s tenure was the crowning of Shannon Benting as Miss Supranational South Africa 2026.
Benting went on to represent South Africa at Miss Supranational 2026 in Poland.
Ahead of the international competition, Benting said representing South Africa was a responsibility she did not take lightly.
“Representing South Africa at Miss Supranational 2026 is a moment I will carry with me for the rest of my life,” she said.
“I am walking onto that stage in Poland not just for myself, but for every young woman in South Africa who has been told that where she comes from is a limitation rather than a launching pad.”
Montjane-Tshabalala praised Benting’s ability to connect with people and said she understood that the title was about more than wearing a crown.
“Shannon stood out not simply for her beauty – though that is undeniable – but for the quiet, unshakeable clarity she has about who she is and what she wants to do with her platform,” Montjane-Tshabalala said.
“Shannon understands that this title is not about a crown; it is about the doors it opens and the lives that can be changed as a result.”
Why the franchise has changed hands again
The latest transition raises questions because Montjane-Tshabalala’s company had only recently completed its expansion into all three of South Africa’s major international pageant franchises.
The announcement of Jacobs’ appointment does not publicly state that there was a dispute between the two parties, nor does it explain why African Beauty International has relinquished Miss Supranational South Africa.
Montjane-Tshabalala had also not publicly commented on the change at the time of publication.
What is clear is that the new announcement presents the transition as a new phase for the franchise, with Jacobs and the Mrs South Africa team taking responsibility for its future.
Jacobs brings years of pageant and modelling experience
Jacobs is not a newcomer to the beauty industry.
She was crowned Mrs South Africa in 2009 and has served as CEO of the Mrs South Africa organisation since 2011.
She also founded Ace Models International in 2005. The modelling company has since expanded through more than 30 franchises, giving Jacobs extensive experience in modelling, talent development and pageantry.
Her Mrs South Africa organisation has positioned its programme around leadership, mentorship, personal development, business skills and purpose rather than treating the competition purely as a traditional beauty contest.
That approach is expected to influence the new Miss Supranational South Africa structure.
Who will work with Jacobs?
Jacobs will not be running the franchise alone.
PR Worx CEO Madelain Roscher and former Miss South Africa Cindy Nell are joining Miss Supranational South Africa as shareholders, with Roscher also taking responsibility for public relations.
Marlene Reddy-Ribeiro will lead operations, while Jacqueline Ferns and Matapa Maila will serve on the board.
The organisation says it will draw on systems and development structures already used by the Mrs South Africa team.
What happens next?
The next step will be the search for the woman who will eventually carry the Miss Supranational South Africa title.
At the time of the latest announcement, no date had been confirmed for the opening of entries or the next national selection process.
The new leadership says the emphasis will be on identifying a woman who can compete internationally while also building a meaningful career and platform beyond the pageant.
For South Africa, the challenge will be to find another contestant capable of following in the footsteps of Mswane, who remains the country’s only Miss Supranational winner.
The change in leadership also signals just how quickly South Africa’s pageant landscape is evolving, with major international franchises moving between different organisations and former titleholders increasingly becoming owners, directors and decision-makers behind the scenes.
For Jacobs, the focus now appears to be less about simply producing another winner and more about creating a platform that can continue working for its titleholder long after the crown has been handed over.
