“Fly the Flag”: Mzansi Wowed by South Africa’s Miss Grand International National Costume

• Miss Grand South Africa, Boitshepo Lamola, impressed many when she modelled her national costume at Miss Grand International
• Her blue outfit represented South Africa's national bird, the blue crane, which symbolises national pride, grace, and resilience
• Several social media users applauded Boitshepo and shared how much they loved the design

After documenting her manifestation journey to becoming Miss Grand South Africa, Boitshepo Lamola wowed South Africans when she wore her national costume at Miss Grand International. Many online viewers felt that her representation of the blue crane, South Africa's national bird, was one of the best to ever walk the pageantry stage.

On 13 October, 2025, Miss Grand International uploaded a video on its TikTok account showing Boitshepo showcasing her blue, feathery costume. The blue crane symbolises national pride, grace, and resilience, all of which the local beauty queen impressively represented.

The international pageant competition, hosting 78 contestants, takes place in Hua Hin, Thailand, with the grand finale scheduled for 18 October, 2025. Speaking about the national costume segment, Miss Grand International stated on its website:

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"With the diverse national costumes of each country being created and designed from the creativity of world-class designers, they guarantee the grandeur and dignity of the Miss Grand International beauty pageant."

National costume impresses South Africans

With nearly 2 million views since its publication, the viral video saw several local members of the online community heading to the post's comment section in awe of the South African representative's national costume.

@thuleh_dube was thoroughly impressed with the design and stated:

"The best national costume in the history of South African pageantry. She ate!"

@boitysupremacy added under the post:

"I just know her arms were in pain! So much dedication. How do we vote? She deserves to be in the Top 5, if not Top 3. This is beautiful."

@shamilahnkuna1 said in the comments:

"Oh, I hope Miss Universe South Africa is taking notes from Miss Grand South Africa."

A supportive @leeanne6105 remarked:

"Yes, girl! The crane is in the house. Fly that flag."

@dats_dipi shared their opinion about the costume, writing:

"It looks more like a Spix’s macaw in 'Rio' (the movie) than a blue crane. I thought it was Brazil."

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@ngunichildog, who was one of the few who critiqued the look, wrote:

"She carried it well, but it lacked innovation and interpretation. I am still proud of it, but nah, we have way more talented designers to have really done an incredible job here. It’s literal and looks like a last-minute attempt. Look at the other countries, see how much detail and storytelling are in their presentations. Too, too literal and lacking in creative design."

Watch the TikTok video below:

3 Other stories about beauty pageants

• In another article, Briefly News spoke to Enhle Mdakane, a 16-year-old entrepreneur who became a finalist for the Miss Teen Grand South Africa competition. She shared her hopes in helping the youth survive the world.
• On 30 September, 2025, Miss South Africa Organisation confirmed that one of the contestants, Lebohang Msimanga, had withdrawn from the competition. They explained the reason for her departure during a media briefing.
• After Miss South Africa Top 10 finalist Bridgette Jones was accused of being a bully by a Cape Town-based pageant organiser, Miss South Africa Organisation shared its response to the allegations.

Source: Briefly News