The Zee TV Miss India Gauteng 2016 took place on the 12th of March 2016 at the Lyric Theatre in Gold Reef City, Johannesburg, South Africa.

There were 16 contestants who participated in the pageant, all the girls displayed such elegance and poise whilst showing off their talents, modelling their South African as well as Indian couture and addressing questions from the Judges.

The MC of the evening was Miss Sherrianne Pillay, Miss India Gauteng 2015. Sherrianne conducted the event with grace and delivered an exit speech that was certainly something to remember. This 2nd year law student has made such a difference in her community since she took the title of Miss India Gauteng last year as she has volunteered in children’s hospitals, fed the hungry, gave her time to orphanages and now has her own foundation called the ‘Princess Diaries’ which aims to empower young girls by teaching them leadership skills and motivating them to reach their life goals.

Among the speakers of the evening we had the Zee TV Africa CEO, Harish Goyal who presented Mr Randhir Jaiswal with a special thank you for his immense contribution to the pageant and community since taking up his position as the Consul General of India, Johannesburg which commenced on the on 22 July 2013. Mr Jaiswal was gifted with a beautiful memento from Culture India Pageant.

The night was filled with amazing entertainment from poets, singers, influential South African women and ended off with the crowning of the Zee TV Miss Gauteng 2016 winner, Miss Nicolette Gopaul. Gopaul is a Business Analyst by trade with a financial degree and recently an author. This young woman effortlessly took this regional title, winning the hearts of the judges and audience with her mesmerizing talent of Bollywood dance and spectacular outfits.

The first princess was Micaila Singh, a film student who is passionate about her community and Church foundation. The second princess was Supriya Soorju, a mechanical engineer by trade who enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

This pageant is a catalyst for young women in South Africa to reach their dreams and believe in themselves. It helps the future female leaders of our country to unlock their potential and hone their talents, it teaches them how to use their skills to help their communities and give back to the less fortunate, thus moulding each of them into wholesome members of society.

“The Zee TV Africa team is happy to be a part of the Zee TV Miss India South Africa 2016 pageant and we are looking forward to a fruitful year ahead, empowering young women all over the country is what we set out to do and in partnership with Culture India Pageant we are reaching this goal by instilling and reawakening culture and ambition in our young women.” – said Harish Goyal, Zee TV Africa CEO.