New sheriff in town? Motsepe family now control Miss SA
The organisation recently revealed that Miss SA 2025 had been postponed to later in the year.
This follows the resignation of former CEO Stephanie Weil, who stepped down earlier this month after helming the company since 2019.
Earlier this month, Africa Fashion International (AFI) – the fashion partner of Miss SA – revealed that it was now the 'sister company' with the beauty pageant.
'AFI and the Miss South Africa organisation are proud members of a larger, family-owned group of companies, united by a shared vision for creativity and excellence', read a statement posted on their social media platforms.
AFI was founded in 2007 by Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, the wife of billionaire businessman Patrice Motsepe. The fashion empire organises events like Cape Town and Joburg Fashion Week, and manages a catalogue of African creatives through its luxury labels.
Miss SA was previously owned by Sun International, a South African hotel and event conglomerate. In 2019, Sun International sold the rights to the pageant to Weil Entertainment, whose owner is CEO Stephanie Weil.
Before that, the pageant was sponsored by publications including the Sunday Times, Rapport, and the now defunct Afrikaans newspaper , Die Landstem.
Under the wing of AFI, the pageant will now 'embark on this strategic journey together, leveraging our unique strengths to drive growth and innovation.'
Apart from Miss SA, the Motsepe family owns companies in various industry sectors, from mining to telecommunications, insurance, banking, property, and even fashion and sports.
With a net worth of $3 billion (R55.35 billion), Patrice Motsepe was named South Africa's first black billionaire and the first black African to make the Forbes Richest list in 2008. South African billionaire businessman, Patrice Motsepe. Image: X @CAF
Patrice is the brother of Dr Tshepo Motsepe, the wife of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
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