Miss South Africa beauty pageant switches back to SABC3 from M-Net after 23 years preceded by 5-episode Crown Chasers reality show lead up.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Miss South Africa beauty pageant is jumping from M-Net back to the South African public broadcaster after 23 years with a preceding reality show of 5 episodes on SABC3 until the 2023 crowning event takes place at the SunBet Arena at Times Square in Pretoria on Sunday 13 August.

After years on M-Net (DStv 101) and Mzansi Magic (SDtv 161) for MultiChoice's pay-TV audience, the Miss South Africa competition done by Weil Entertainment in association with Sun International, is moving back to the SABC after 23 years.

Weil Entertainment says Miss South Africa is back on SABC3 "bigger and better than ever" after its run on Mzansi Magic.

Crown Chasers is a 5-episode reality show which will start on SABC3 on Saturday 8 July at 16:00 that go behind the scenes in the lead up to the pageant event taking place in Pretoria on Sunday 13 August.

Contestants in Crown Chasers will be put through a series of challenges, tasks and mentorship sessions.

"We are thrilled to have Miss South Africa back on our platform," says Lala Tuku, SABC head of local productions, in a press release.

Stephanie Weil, Miss South Africa Organisation, in the press release, says "We are so excited and thrilled to be back on SABC3, not only for the final pageant event, but also with a real game changer that is the Crown Chasers series".

"We said we'd shake things up, do things differently and bring a new level of interest to the Miss South Africa competition and I believe we have done just that."  

In Crown Chasers Bonang Matheba and Leandie du Randt will act as judges, together with a celebrity guest judge every week, while the show's host Zozibini Tunzi who was Miss South Africa and Miss Universe 2019, will act as a mentor to the finalists throughout the competition.

The Crown Chasers guest judges include Miss South Africa 2018 Dr Tamaryn Green Nxumalo, Miss South Africa 2001 Vanessa Carreira Coutroulis, Miss South Africa 2010 Bokang Montjane-Tshabalala, fashion designers Gert Johann Coetzee and Khosi Nkosi, as well as businesswomen Koo Govender.

MultiChoice to show Lalela Mswane in the 70th Miss Universe pageant to DStv subscribers on M-Net's 1Magic channel despite South African government's boycott.

by Thinus Ferreira

Although the South African government isn't supporting Miss South Africa competing in Miss Universe in Israel, MultiChoice and M-Net are, with the pay-TV service that will be broadcasting the 70th Miss Universe pageant in which Miss SA Lalela Mswane is taking part to DStv subscribers live on Monday morning from the Universe Arena in Eilat.

The Miss South Africa organisation has stopped issuing any press releases to the media following a political fallout in which the South African government withdrew its support of Miss South Africa over Miss SA Lalela Mswane's participation at the Miss Universe pageant in Israel.

MultiChoice is likewise not promoting the 70th Miss Universe pageant with any overt media push to draw attention to it and is taking a low-key approach regarding this programming but the 70th Miss Universe pageant does appear on the DStv electronic programme guide (EPG).

MultiChoice also told the media at its recent 2021 MultiChoice Showcase last month that it has secured the 70th Miss Universe pageant rights and will be showing it to DStv subscribers.

Despite the South African government's snub of Miss SA, M-Net will carry the 3-hour 70th Miss Universe pageant in which Lalela Mswane will appear, as a live broadcast on Monday morning 13 December at 02:00 on 1Magic (DStv 103) with a primetime repeat on Monday night at 22:00 on the same channel.

The 70th Miss Universe pageant will get another repeat airing on M-Net's Me (DStv 115) channel on Sunday 19 December at 20:00, making the broadcast available to more lower-tiered DStv subscribers.