Bajabulise Thela, a 23-year-old Flight Attendant will represent South Africa at the 2026 Miss Universe beauty pageant. She has emerged as Miss African Beauty Universe South Africa 2026.
South Africa has crowned Bajabulise Thela as Miss African Beauty Universe South Africa 2026. She was honoured by former Miss South Africa Bokang Montjane-Tshabalala’s organisation, African Beauty International.
The KaNyamazane, Mpumalanga-born beauty queen won the coveted title on Saturday, July 18, 2026 at Menlyn and is set to represent the country at the 75th Miss Universe pageant in San Juan, Puerto Rico in November 2026.
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Thela is a 23-year-old marketing graduate and a qualified flight attendant, whose advocacy focuses on eradicating malnutrition and hunger in local communities through her initiative, The Mambane Foundation. The model has long been involved in the world of beauty pageantry.
At just 23 years old, the Mpumalanga native has had a compelling journey in pageantry. She first made history by winning the Miss Teen Supranational South Africa title in 2021, then she won the Miss Teen Universe South Africa 2023 title, after that she went on to compete for the Miss Mpumalanga crown in 2024 and won the title.
23-year-old Flight Attendant, Bajabulise Thela will represent South Africa at the 2026 Miss Universe beauty pageant.
She has emerged as Miss African Beauty Universe South Africa 2026. pic.twitter.com/s6BGi4mx4s
— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) July 21, 2026
Last year, she also entered the Miss SA pageant but she did not advance to the official contestant stage. Taking to Instagram, Thela excitedly posted a series of pictures as she laid on a bed the day after she was crowned, with her sash next to her and a bouquet of flowers. She captioned her post that, “GOOD MORNING, UNIVERSE! ‘Dreams Do Come True!”
Bajabulise reflected on her achievement as she is still in awe. She told in an interview that, “Like I always say, dreams do come true indeed.”
She added, “That’s why I wanted to tell my story through platforms like this, that as a young person, you need to believe in your values, believe in yourself, believe in what you want to achieve, because truly it does come true, especially with the people that I want to inspire, young people from under-resourced communities where they are demotivated, where they feel like their lives end in those townships. I want to show them that truly you can come from a dusty street and take it to the universe and look at me now.”
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Seeing her family’s continuous support brought tears to Bajabulise’s eyes, as she gushed about her friends and family’s support amid her father’s health struggles. She said, “My friends are just right there. They came all the way from Mpumalanga to come and support me. My mom and dad, I know it’s so emotional because my dad is not in a good position, and when I was doing this, I was like, ‘I need to do it for him’. I’m feeling so proud where I am today.”
Bajabulise Thela is not just a thriving pageant queen, she stated that this journey has not only shrink her but made her the bold woman that she is still becoming.