CV Stardom

In 1923, South African Pictorial held Miss South Africa, which was won by Doris Gwendoline Heliwell with W. J. van Blommestein and Marjorie Elizabeth Cowley as the respective first and second princesses. In 1943, Susie Smuts became the second woman to hold the title.

However, it was Norma Vorster who won the first official Miss South Africa competition in 1956. It was open to white females only.

Miss South Africa 1964

Louise Crous of the Orange Free State Province won Miss South Africa 1963. Jennifer Slater and Maureen van Niekerk were the respective first and second runners-up.

In 1964, Crous crowned her successor Vedra Karamitas. Runner-up to Karamitas was Lorraine Mason while the second runner-up was Virginia Scott-King.

Vedra Karamitas

Karamitas was born and raised in Vhembe District, Limpopo, South Africa. She is of Greek descent.

When Karamitas was crowned Miss South Africa 1964, she was working as a ballet teacher in Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa. She also taught deportment at St. Roses Convent in Johannesburg, Gauteng.

On November 3, 1964, Karamitas arrived in London, England, United Kingdom with walking sticks. She told the Miss World organizers that she had back problems.

On November 12, 1964, Karamitas represented South Africa at Miss World 1964 and competed against 41 other candidates at the Lyceum Ballroom in London. She was unplaced.

On November 13, 1964, a warrant for the arrest of Karamitas was authorized in the magistrate’s court in Johannesburg. She failed to appear in court to answer a summons for a parking offense.

Cornel Wilde initially cast Karamitas in his film “The Naked Prey” but in the first weeks of production, he cut her role entirely. Shot in Sibasa, Limpopo, the film was released in the United States on March 23, 1966.

On January 1, 1970, Karamitas turned 28. On June 1, 1970, she took her own life.