Miss South Africa returns to SABC after 23 years this Sunday. The official crowning of Miss SA 2023 will take place on Sunday, August 13, at Sun International’s SunBet Arena in Time Square in Pretoria.

The final SABC3 broadcast of the Miss SA pageant saw Heather Hamilton winning the title in 1999.

This year, the pageant returns to the public broadcaster with a five-part Crown Chasers series in addition to the live crowning.

Through a number of contests, assignments, and mentoring sessions, the series will give viewers an inside peek at how to become Miss SA.

Lala Tuku, the SABC’s head of local productions, expressed her excitement over Miss SA’s return to the network.

“The SABC remains the home of events of national importance, and our logline for S3 is ‘Open Up’. To the Miss South Africa finalists, open up new worlds, transcend borders, and be the best ambassadors you can be for South Africa.”

This Sunday, July 9th, at 9 p.m., Crown Chasers will make its television debut on SABC3.

Two judges, Leandie du Randt and Bonang Matheba, will be appearing with Zozi. Every week, a celebrity will also serve as a judge.

Among the special judges are Dr. Tamaryn Green Nxumalo, Miss South Africa 2018, Miss South Africa 2010, Bokang Montjane-Tshabalala, Miss South Africa 2001, Vanessa Carreira Coutroulis, fashion designers Gert Johann Coetzee and Khosi Nkosi, and businesswoman Koo Govender.

Stephanie Weil, CEO of the Miss South Africa Organization, expressed excitement about returning to SABC3.

“Not only for the final pageant event but also with a real game changer that is the Crown Chasers series. We said we’d shake things up, do things differently, and bring a new level of interest to the Miss SA competition. I believe we have done just that.”

L’Oréal Paris and MoFaya, the first black-owned energy drink in Mzansi and co-founded by DJ Sbu and Siphiwe Likhuleni Shongwe, are two of the organization’s sponsors.