Miss SA crown controversy: Nungu Diamonds reveals why Mowana crown is gone
Miss South Africa's new crown has sparked debate following Tiyani Makamu's crowning. Nungu Diamonds has now revealed why its Mowana crown was absent and confirmed that its partnership with the pageant was not renewed for 2026.
The 2026 Miss South Africa pageant took an unexpected turn when the new winner, Tiyani Makamu, was crowned with a temporary gold-coloured crown, "Imbokodo", instead of the traditional Nungu Diamonds Mowana crown. This change left many viewers and social media users puzzled and dismayed, as the Mowana crown has been a staple of the pageant since 2023.
The sudden shift in crowning tradition sparked conversations about the decision and the future of the beloved Nungu Diamonds partnership. The Motsepe Group, which acquired the Miss South Africa Organisation in July 2025, introduced several changes to the pageant, including the new temporary crown design that represents the theme "Imbokodo to Diamond".
The new crown was described as a symbol of women's strength and resilience. While the Mowana crown was temporarily placed on outgoing Miss South Africa Qhawekazi Mazaleni, its return to its creators, Nungu Diamonds, was confirmed for the following day. Kealeboga Pule, co-founder and managing director of Nungu Diamonds, stated that the brand's agreement with Miss South Africa was not renewed for the 2026 crowning and that the temporary crown is not the work of Nungu Diamonds.
He emphasized the importance of aligning visions between sponsors and the pageant, expressing pride in the work previously done but acknowledging the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the absence of the Mowana crown.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
