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“I am looking at her and I am asking myself, who is this girl? I can tell that she is my daughter, but she radiates, and she just looks like a goddess.”
These were the proud remarks made by reigning Miss SA Ndavi Nokeri’s father, Moses, as he admired the young woman he raised, who was the centre of attention at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton on Tuesday during the Miss SA's official costume revelation and her Miss Universe sendoff.
Moses and his wife who had travelled from their home in Gavaza Village just outside Tzaneen, Limpopo, sat in the front row as Nokeri modelled two gowns by popular designers Sello Medupe of Scalo Designs, who created her national costume, and Juan William Aria, who made her the gold hand beaded gown she was wearing during the reveal.
Moses beamed with pride and could not hold back his smile while his wife, Betty, shared a tear as the 23-year-old winded up her final preparations for the Miss Universe stage, scheduled for New Orleans in the US on January 14.
He said:
Nokeri’s sendoff event was hosted by former Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi who stunned in a red open-slit gown. The event was also attended by the beauty’s close family, including her sisters and friends.
Her mother said the family was still in awe at the change her daughter's new title had brought to them and her community.
“We are really amazed by everything that is happening here. We only see the grace of God upon our lives, our family and even her because what is happening is not something that someone can say they were waiting for, but it just happened and everything is blowing our minds. We are thankful,” Betty said.
READ: Photos | Crowd favourite Nokeri crowned new Miss SA
Moses and Betty who, like millions of viewers across the globe only got to experience the Miss Universe pageant through watching it on television of recent, will this time travel with their daughter abroad to attend the prestigious pageant.
“We will be going with her to the US, which means that we will be watching the pageant live this time... We have not been to the US before. This is our first time and we are so excited,” she said.
She described her daughter as being warm and disciplined, even from an early age.
She said:
“It is the grace of God that when you nurture someone's gift, you never know how it will end up. It is God who gives you strength to push and nurture them and support them towards their destiny,” she said.
Nokeri said she loved her dresses and said they made her look like the Miss Universe that she hoped to become.
She added:
Aria, who designed two dresses for Nokeri for the big night, explained that it took eight designers, four months and a lot of hand bead work to put together her dresses.
He added: “The other two gowns, we took a lot of inspiration from the culture, the heritage, especially. After her homecoming, we sat down and discussed what we were going to design and with one of the gowns, we took inspiration from her village.”
