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Miss South Africa, 22-year-old Rolene Strauss, was crowned Miss World 2014 recently at the ceremony in London. Miss Hungary, Edina Kulcsar, was the runner-up and Miss United States, Elizabeth Safrit, came third in the 64th annual competition.
According to Channel24, Rolene is only the third South African to hold the title after Penny Coelen, who won the coveted title back in 1958, and Anneline Kriel in 1974.
Penny Coelen became the first South African Miss World at the 8th annual pageant in 1958.
Anneline Kriel was originally crown First Princess at the Miss World event in 1974, but was given the main title after it was discovered that the original Miss World of 1974, Helen Morgan, was an unmarried mother to an 18-month-old boy, according to the BBC.
Due to it being a rather tumultuous time in our country’s history with an international boycott of South Africa; Anneline unwittingly became the face of apartheid and was refused entry into certain countries.
South Africa was banned from competing in the pageant from 1978 to 1990 because of political reasons.
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