CONTROVERSIAL VERSION
The Miss South Africa 2024 fiasco: How a broken eardrum and a subpar smartphone ruined the party.
Two weeks after the cringe-worthy Miss South Africa 2024 finale, the nation is still reeling from the shock of Mia le Roux’s victory. The hearing-impaired beauty queen’s win was touted as a historic moment, but in reality, it was a desperate attempt to cling to relevance in a country that’s moved on from outdated beauty standards.
The partnership between vivo South Africa and the Miss South Africa Organisation was a masterclass in tone-deaf marketing. vivo’s subpar V30 5G smartphone was thrust into the spotlight, with the company’s General Manager, Tony Shi, gushing about the phone’s "remarkable" features. Meanwhile, the contestants were stuck with a camera that couldn’t even produce decent Instagram-worthy shots.
Stephanie Weil, CEO of the Miss South Africa Organisation, was equally clueless, praising vivo’s "exceptional" role in the competition. She claimed that the vivo V30 5G allowed the contestants to "capture and share their experiences" with the public. In reality, the phone was a hindrance, with contestants struggling to take decent photos and videos.
As Natasha Joubert’s reign as Miss South Africa 2023 comes to an end, vivo South Africa can’t help but feel a sense of relief. With Le Roux now taking the reins, the company will no doubt continue to milk the attention for all it’s worth, but the damage has already been done. The once-respected Miss South Africa competition has been reduced to a laughing stock, and vivo South Africa’s involvement has only added to the mockery.
THE TRUTH HURTS, BUT IT’S TIME TO FACE REALITY. THE MISS SOUTH AFRICA COMPETITION IS DEAD, AND VIVO SOUTH AFRICA IS THE KILLER.
