The first deaf contestant has been crowned Miss South Africa.
Mia le Roux is the first deaf contestant to win the beauty pageant competition for Miss South Africa.
Miss le Roux was diagnosed with profound hearing loss when she was 1 years old, she received 2 years of speech therapy before she spoke her first words and also uses a cochlear implant to help with her hearing.
In her winning speech, le Roux said how she hopes her victory [winning Miss South Africa] would inspire young men and women who felt excluded and for them to pursue their ”wildest dreams”.
Showing the world how it’s done, le Roux winning is inspiring to so many of those who feel excluded or that feel ‘different’; in her winner’s speech she spoke of how she knows what it is like to feel excluded and how she wants to change the world for better.
“I am a proud South African deaf woman and know what it feels to be excluded. But thanks to the Miss South Africa Organization, I have a foot in the world of the included and I want to build a bridge between those two worlds,” she said.
“As your Miss South Africa, I want to partner with the government, corporate South Africa, and anyone who is able to help. To help the financially excluded or being differently able to achieve their wildest dreams just like I am tonight.
As the latest crown wearer and winner of Miss South Africa, she wins a cash prize, a Mercedes Benz and a furnished luxury apartment.
