'Stunning inside and out': SA reacts to Lalela Mswane's Miss SA win

Mzansi has a new queen and social media is in celebration mode.

Lalela Mswane, 24, from KwaZulu-Natal bested nine other finalists to claim the Miss SA title during the pageant's finale at the GrandWest Casino in Cape Town on Saturday.

Congratulatory messages started to flood Twitter as soon as the dazzling uBuhle crown was placed on Mswane's head. 

The model and dancer, who also holds a law degree, was hailed as "phenomenal" and "magnificent".

Several social media users were particularly impressed with the queen's performance during the Q&A portion of the pageant.

Given that the elections are coming up, the judges asked her what she's looking for in the country's next leader.

"Somebody who is self-aware, very accountable and encourages critical thinking, innovation and action, but most importantly prioritises the personal development of every person in SA," she replied confidently.

Mswane's final statement to the judges about what she hoped to accomplish should she clinch the Miss SA crown was equally strong.

"Our unemployment rate is at an all-time high and it’s our youth that is mostly affected," she said. "As your Miss SA 2021, I would love to use the platform to not only shine a light on this issue but to also seek meaningful solutions [towards resolving it]."

Believing that the "youth should be empowered to secure their own economic futures", she added: "It’s time that … we create our own tables as opposed to waiting for the allocation of seats."

Overall Mswane was widely praised for her intelligence as well as her beauty, making it fitting that one Twitter user dubbed her "the perfect package to represent SA".