The 24-year-old, hailing from the Eastern Cape, attained this honor at the celebrated national pageant, garnering widespread acclaim.
On Sunday, 26 October 2025, Ramaphosa expressed his sentiments through his official X (formerly Twitter) profile, lauding Mazaleni’s achievement and her commitment to advocacy.
“Warmest congratulations to the Eastern Cape’s Qhawekazi Mazaleni on her crowning as Miss South Africa 2025,” he stated.
“Our newest national flag bearer is an advocate for the empowerment of women and for the education of our nation’s youth, and her vision for these causes bodes well for her reign and beyond. I wish you well, Qhawekazi, and I extend my good wishes to deserving runners-up Luyanda Zuma and Karabo Mareka.”
While many praised the president for recognizing Mazaleni’s accomplishment, some members of the public expressed discontent.
Certain South Africans took to the comments section to voice their dissatisfaction, claiming he was prioritizing pageantry over more urgent national issues.
Warmest congratulations to the Eastern Cape’s Qhawekazi Mazaleni on her crowning as Miss South Africa 2025.
Our newest national flag bearer is an advocate for the empowerment of women and for the education of our nation’s youth, and her vision for these causes bodes well for her… pic.twitter.com/bNEXJdowjX
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) October 26, 2025
