WATCH | Fans celebrate Miss Soweto for putting 'Chiawelo on the map'
Tsakane Sono was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd chanting her name as she embarked on her official victory parade as Miss Soweto 2022
A jubilant Tsakane Sono recently returned home to Chiawelo for her official victory parade as Miss Soweto 2022. Chants of “we love you, we love Tsakane” filled the air as the community came out to celebrate one of their own clinching the coveted title.
Sono, who was crowned during the pageant's glittering finale late last year, was touched by the crowd's enthusiasm. “Everyone is so happy. I’ve had people telling me that I have put Chiawelo on the map, it makes me so emotional, because this is not only my victory — it's [all of] ours,” she said.
Among those who attended the event were some of Sono's family and friends, including her proud mother, Claudia Sono. “Right from primary school Tsakane was a leader and she's always been an over-achiever,” she said.
Fitting words when you consider that, in addition to being a triumphant beauty queen, her 24-year-old daughter is also a qualified occupational therapist and master’s degree candidate.
Sono never saw herself as fitting into the world of pageants. She admitted that one of the reasons she entered Miss Soweto was to challenge the stereotypes of what constitutes beauty and being “worthy” of a crown.
“To me, winning Miss Soweto goes beyond reaching my dreams or desires, it is about inspiring other people to also believe in the power that lives inside of them,” she said.
This article was sponsored by White Star Super Maize Meal, the title sponsor of the Miss Soweto pageant.