Miss SA top 10 finalist Melissa Nayimuli can smell the title

Miss SA top 10 finalist Melissa Nayimuli is closer to her dream of being a titleholder with big plans of eliminating xenophobia and leading by example.

Nayimuli was born to an Ugandan father and Xhosa mother. 

The 27-year-old is a film and television producer, who started her career as an intern on The Voice Nigeria. She then worked on SABC 2 music show Stand Up SA and is currently producing Mzansi Magic’s Lenyalo Ha se Papadi. 

This year marks her fourth return to Miss SA, having cracked the top 5 in 2020. “I am a passionate storyteller and big on creativity, more immensely in African unity and the progress of this continent,” she said.

“Coming from a multicultural home is what drives my advocacy of African unity. Growing up I experienced quite a lot of xenophobia and often people shy away from this topic, but I think it’s right time to speak about it.

“Being born and bred in Butterworth [Gcuwa] in the Eastern Cape and speaking isiXhosa fluently makes me proudly South African, but when I made the top 30 this year, I experienced a lot of backlash from people. They were saying things like, 'you’re not fully South African and you don’t deserve to represent the country.'”

Nayimuli remains unshaken and she intends to spread positivity.

“The biggest question is, what makes us South African, and what doesn’t? If you look at Miss SA, it’s not about your race, gender or where you are from. It’s about who is fit to do the job – which I believe is the main focus,” Nayimuli said.

“As much as I’ve experienced xenophobia, I’ve equally experienced the love from South Africans. My aim is to also highlight that the people of our country are also warm and loving and if we all come and stand together, we will be able to eradicate the prejudice and injustice that people face.”

Nayimuli explains that receiving the crown will not only offer her advocacy the voice and recognition it deserves but also the platform to ensure that the generation behind her doesn’t experience the level of hate that she has. 

She was also announced the winner in the first episode of the Miss SA reality show Crown Chaser.

“I keep on coming back to this platform [Miss SA] because it affords me the opportunity to be heard and to make a difference no matter which level I reach,” she said.

“With my journey being documented on Crown Chasers, it has given me the platform to express myself in such a way that connects me with the audience. Yes, I do work in the television space but I am more behind the scenes, so being in front of the camera was a big jump for me.

“I had to adjust a bit with the reality show, having a camera in front of your face almost every day isn’t easy ... I truly respect actors and reality stars because this experience is quite something else. The biggest highlight was us [top 10] going to Mauritius because I’ve never been there – it was such an insane experience.”