The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons With Disabilities, Ms Lindelwa Dunjwa, has congratulated Mia le Roux for being crowned Miss South Africa (SA) 2024.
Dunjwa said le Roux’s victory will remain as an indelible symbol of hope and inspiration to the community of persons with disabilities in the country.
Le Roux, 28, was crowned Miss SA 2024 at the 66th pageant finale held in Tshwane on Saturday night. She was born in Sasolburg, Free State and raised in Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape, according to the Miss SA official website.
Dunjwa said the committee noted the challenges around Miss SA 2024, but appreciated that “a right contestant” was crowned in the end and became the first deaf woman to be crowned Miss South Africa.
“That was a historic and memorable development in South Africa,” Dunjwa stressed.
RELATED STORY: Maimane proposes Home Affairs court to curb identity theft.
Le Roux was diagnosed with profound hearing loss at the age of one and has a cochlear implant to help her perceive sound.
In her acceptance speech, she said: “With a humble and grateful heart, I accept the incredible responsibility of being your Miss South Africa 2024. It is an honour that fills me with immense pride and gratitude, and I am deeply touched by the trust and confidence that South Africa has placed in me.
“As a little girl I never would have thought that someone like me could become Miss South Africa. It is extremely powerful what this could mean to other little girls – that even if you have something that makes you different, you still can achieve your dreams with determination and hard work.
“At the tender age of two, I was blessed by my community with the gift of a cochlear implant. Family, friends and strangers rallied to raise funds for this operation – a life-changing opportunity that allowed me to hear. It was also the start of a long journey to listen to sound and connect with the world through speech, a journey that also has taught me to never give up.
“It took two years of speech therapy and continued repetition of words before I looked up to the sky one day and said my first four words: ‘Kyk daar, wit wolke’.
