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Miss Universe South Africa 2023 Bryoni Natalie Govender, 27, of Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa never allows a setback to determine her destination. She describes herself as a tenacious woman.

Govender wants to address and remove the gaps in the progress of women empowerment. She believes this can be done “by introducing mentorship programs focusing on business and leadership courses, entrepreneurial and job training programs and skills development for all girls and women by partnering up with various corporates around South Africa to host empowerment workshops”.

In 2019, Govender earned her law degree from the University of Johannesburg in Johannesburg, Gauteng. That year, she was a legal advisor at the law clinic of the university.

At Eversheds Sutherland in Melrose, Johannesburg, Govender was a candidate attorney from May 2021 to May 2023 and an associate designate from May 2023 to June 2023. She was admitted as an attorney in July 2023.

Miss South Africa 1997 Kerishnie Naiker and Govender have several things in common. They are both of Indian descent.

Representing South Africa, Naiker finished in the Top 5 at Miss World 1998 and in the Top 10 at Miss Universe 1998. Govender was runner-up to Miss South Africa 2023 Natasha Joubert, who was unplaced when she represented South Africa at Miss Universe 2020.

On November 18, 2023, Govender will represent South Africa at Miss Universe 2023 at the José Adolfo Pineda Arena in San Salvador, El Salvador. She will compete against 84 other candidates including Shweta Sharda, 24, of India, Isabella Garcia-Manzo, 20, of El Salvador, Jameela Uiras, 23, of Namibia and Brooke Bruk-Jackson, 21, of Zimbabwe.

If Govender wins, she will be the fourth Miss Universe from South Africa. The first three are Margaret Gardiner, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters and Zozibini Tunzi, who were crowned in 1978, 2017 and 2019, respectively.