DRAMA, SCANDAL AND INFAMY
In 1968 organisers of the Miss Universe competition asked Monica Fairall to wear a different evening gown because they deemed her backless dress too revealing.
Because of sanctions against the apartheid state, SA was barred from competing in Miss World between 1978 and 1990.
Karen Sickel (Miss SA 1979) caused an uproar when it was discovered she was living with her boyfriend. To this day rules state winners aren’t allowed to be in a “public relationship” for the duration of their reign.
Michelle Bruce (Miss SA 1989) embarked on a high-profile romantic relationship with former DA leader Tony Leon after her reign and the couple attended Nelson Mandela’s presidential inauguration together in 1994. Michelle also came under fire for marketing condoms.
In 2012 Melinda Bam caused a stir when she announced she’d be competing in Miss Universe but not in Miss World. There were rumours of a pregnancy, nude pictures and a boob job but Melinda told YOU at the time she simply believed Miss Universe would lead to better corporate opportunities for her to start her own business.
In 2015 three semifinalists – Aseza Matanzima, Kelly Davids and Altina Vries – were disqualified for having tattoos. The entry form for Miss SA states competitors aren’t allowed to have “visible tattoos”. The ink on all three women was visible during a swimsuit round.
Soon after Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters was crowned Miss SA in 2017, 10 of the other contestants alleged the pageant had been rigged in her favour.
The allegations included that the organisers had made more social media entries about Demi-Leigh, that preference was given to her charity organisations and that her coach, Werner Wessels, had given her an unfair advantage.
Contestants claimed they didn’t know they were allowed to have coaches and that Werner was a friend of former Miss SA Melinda Bam, who’d previously worked for the pageant.
Miss SA organisers dismissed the allegations as unfounded.