Mia le Roux from Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape was crowned as the new Miss South Africa during a glitzy event held at the Sun Bet Arena in Pretoria on Saturday 10 August.
Le Roux made history as the first hard-of-hearing Miss South Africa. She was diagnosed with profound hearing loss at the age of one and her community rallied behind her to give her the gift of hearing, a cochlear implant. This has inspired her to enter the Miss South Africa competition because of the platforms it can provide her to promote inclusivity.
“We are proud that the new Miss South Africa hails from the Western Cape, but also her example of breaking barriers for people with disabilities, and particularly the deaf community. The inspirational story of how she was assisted by having a cochlear implant echoes the message and stories of so many other deaf children we witnessed during the Power of Speech Programme presented at the Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP) earlier this year,” says WCPP Speaker Daylin Mitchell.
The Western Cape Provincial Parliament, in collaboration with the Carel du Toit Centre in Cape Town, hosted the first Power of Speech Programme in Africa on 7 March 2024. The programme is an initiative that focuses on deaf children learning to speak, that highlights the achievements of children who are deaf and encourages the use spoken language. During the programme the children showcased what is possible by utilising hearing technology. The programme also provided a platform for parents to share their experiences with the Members of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament.
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