Mrs South Africa kicks off National Public Casting roadshow in Gauteng

Pretoria’s Menlyn Park Shopping Centre buzzed with anticipation on Friday, 31 January, as dozens of aspiring contestants took the first steps toward beginning their Mrs South Africa journey in the first of three live National Public Casting events for 2025. Mrs South Africa 2025 is powered by iME.

Departing from traditional behind-closed-doors approaches to selection processes, curious shoppers were invited to hear the women’s stories, and witness their bravery and determination as each participant took to the stage. They also had the opportunity to witness the joy and excitement as the first group of semi-finalists of the Class of 2025 were announced.

The selected semi-finalists journeys began immediately with an intensive weekend of personal development workshops, setting the tone for their year ahead as part of the acclaimed women empowerment programme. These included sessions on personal branding, goal-setting, and leadership, as well as a professional photoshoot. 

Mrs South Africa CEO Joani Johnson pointed to the recent success of 2024 Mrs South Africa Queen and attorney Tshego Gaelae, who was crowned as the first Black Mrs World, as yet another example of the programme’s ability to change lives, helping women become the best and most powerful versions of themselves.

“Mrs South Africa is really about self-discovery, and overcoming any self-limiting beliefs to own your power and achieve your personal goals. Our many success stories speak volumes about the value of this journey for married women from all backgrounds and walks of life,” she said. “It’s the strength of this reputation that’s attracted so many applicants to our programme, and the judges were once again incredibly impressed by the extraordinary women we were able to meet on Friday.”

While this is the second year that the pageant has held a live national casting in Gauteng, it is breaking new ground this year in accessibility by hosting two additional public castings in other provinces, with the next events taking place in Cape Town on 08 February and in KwaZulu-Natal on 09 February. Further details regarding these two events will be announced in due course.

“Watching women step out of their comfort zones and into the spotlight in front of a live audience gives us valuable insight into their potential and their courage to grow, which is why we feel the live public castings are so important. However, being cognisant of the financial realities facing families, we specifically wanted to extend the live castings to other provinces this year to bring the selection process directly to women in different communities,” explained Johnson.

“This updated approach reflects our ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusivity, and celebrating real, bonafide South African women from every corner of the country.”

She offered the first group of semi-finalists warm congratulations on their achievement, noting that she looked forward to witnessing their growth and successes in the coming months.

“Every woman here said ‘yes’ to themselves and to making this their time to shine, and seeing the fire inside each of them was so inspiring. These are definitely women to watch as the next generation of changemakers.”

Mrs South Africa is proudly supported by: iME, PR Worx, Chery Krugersdorp, Skin Renewal, Lamelle, Hirsch’s Homestore, Brentoni Eyewear, BTL Aesthetics, Slimz, PKF Octagon, iStyle, Espavo Hair Design, Action Coach, Collagen Lift Paris,Bio Sculpture, Vitalefemme, Dyson, Busamed,  Hotel Sky Sandton, Menlyn Park Shopping Centre.