Tamaryn Green is the new Miss South Africa.

Green went head to head with Eastern Cape's Thulisa Keyi at a glamorous event held at the Times Square Arena in Pretoria last night.

Green, 23, from Paarl in the Western Cape, is an occupational medicine student.

The pageant broke with tradition by not crowning the first and second princesses, instead opting to choose delegates for the Miss Universe pageant later in the year, who will be Green and Keyi.

Green said she was excited to represent women in her new role. "I am looking forward to getting to know our country even more," she said.

"I love learning about different cultures and through Miss South Africa I am going to do just that."

She believed that celebrations had already started in her home town.

"I am expecting my town to go crazy and have so many parties," she said.

Green raised her concern about growing femicide cases and said she would add her voice in the campaign against the scourge. She will be taking a break from her studies to focus on being Miss SA.

Asked how she was going to handle her title differently from Green, Keyi said: "I will focus on the qualities I possess. It's so amazing to achieve in this pageant, it's my first ever.

"Where I come from this is not what happens. It's a glimpse of hope to my community to say this is possible. It's a collective achievement."

Hostess Bonang Matheba offered her own version of glam with various outfit and hairstyle changes.

A dozen contestants from all over the country took to the stage in hopes of being crowned the most beautiful woman and walk away with prizes to the value of over R3-million, including R1-million cash and a new car. This is the biggest package in the history of Miss SA and it's believed to be one of the richest pageants in the world.

Green takes over from Ade van Heerden, who was crowned after Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters won the Miss Universe title last year.

The night was filled with iconic moments which included a parade of about 40 former Miss SA queens who walked the stage together in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the contest. They included Claudia Henkel, Basetsana Kumalo, Joan Ramogoshi and Bokang Montjane. Performers included Lady Zamar, Sketchy Bongo and DJ Zinhle.