It all began in August during Miss SA’s question-and-answer session where Ndavi Nokeri left a packed Time Square SunBet Arena in Pretoria applauding with extreme cheer after she answered the importance of unity as a nation.

“To know where you are going, you need to know where you come from. Being a nation that comes from a history of racial segregation, we know that when we were divided, we were at our weakest,” was part of Nokeri’s answer when she secured a spot in the top three with fellow contestants Lebogang Mahlangu and runner-up Ayanda Thabethe.

“So as Miss SA I would implore us to stand together and embrace every single culture, gender, race and sexuality because in our diversity we are strong.”

Her impactful answer led to a memorable crowning moment by her predecessor Lalela Mswane.

Now over three months into her reign, the 23-year-old from Tzaneen in Limpopo is counting down the days to when she’ll be flying the SA flag high “with pride” on the Miss Universe stage in January in New Orleans, US. 

The crown last came to SA when Miss SA 2019 Zozibini Tunzi was crowned the queen of the universe.

“This has been an exciting moment for me. I feel elated to be representing my country in America as it will be my first time there. My parents will be coming with me to support me,” she said.

“Growing up I always did sports, so I thought I’d represent the country in some sort of sports field but now I’ll get to represent SA on a beauty pageant stage globally. I’ll get to speak about our beautiful country, share about who we are as a country and hopefully bring the crown back home.”

Even though she’s known to us as the reigning beauty queen and a public figure, to her family she’s still a mere child who is still expected to do her chores whenever she’s at her family home in Gabaza. “Family will always be family… they have walked this whole journey with me, so they’ve seen my ups and downs,” she said.

“Despite all the attention as the Miss SA beauty queen, to them, I am still their daughter who is still expected to wash dishes, which I love because that grounds and reminds me who I am and where I’m from.”    

With all the technicalities that go into preparing for Miss Universe, the Bachelor of Commerce degree graduate said the designers have already started crafting the gowns she plans to wear on the universal stage. She teases that her gowns will tell a story of who she is and where she’s from. “What I’m doing at the moment is making sure my mind is in the right place and remembering what the crown will mean to me and my country. More importantly, what the crown will mean to people from my village, where I come from.

“I’ve looked up to women who have walked this journey and it’s because of their journey that I sit here. So, the aim carries so much more weight than just going for the crown… it literally changes people’s lives.

“Yes, the walk, talk and how to present me is also important but I am mostly focused on having a healthy mindset.”      

Ndavi, who explained that the “vi” letters in her name are dragged together silently when pronouncing her name in full, reveals that when her name was called out by the host of the pageant Anele Mdoda that she was the new Miss SA, all she felt was an out-of-body experience.  

“When Sowetan put out an article prior to the crowning with a headline saying: ‘Ndavi Nokeri confident about winning the title’, I was like, okay… this is a lot of pressure. But with the reassurance from my sister, who told me at the time that the headline was probably my journey, that made the prediction quite fitting,” the beauty said.

“I had to keep believing in myself during the build-up to the crowning because it’s such a long journey to take in order to become Miss SA. My experience thus far has been so incredible… this has been a dream of mine and to see myself living it is so fulfilling.”

Nokeri is not just a beauty queen who wears her sash with pride, she has a campaign named Ed-Unite, which she launched last month, where she uses her advocacy to focus on addressing inequality in schools.   

With her initiative, Nokeri calls on SA corporates to join her in raising R6m and will act as a conduit between big corporations, foundations and schools in need.

With the countdown to Miss Universe having officially begun, Nokeri needs public votes to secure her spot as one of the semifinalists.

To vote, you need to download the Miss Universe app, search for SA under contestants, and when you find Nokeri’s photo, you then click on it to vote.

The first vote is free. If Nokeri wins, she’ll be the fourth Miss Universe from SA and the second black one to bring it back home.

“Winning Miss Universe will help me to be able to take my national influence on a global platform, especially with my educational equity campaign which I’d be able to take on a global level should I win. Inequality in education is not only a South African challenge but a global one.

“I want to be remembered for the impact that I made and the change that I brought to the world. Success to me looks like making global strides, especially coming from a background such as mine. I want people to say: ‘When she came past this place, everything changed for the good of the people'.”