Seven weeks after Romanda Hombir was crowned Miss World Africa, questions remain about the public engagements she has undertaken in the role and how she plans to turn the continental title into action.
Hombir, 27, secured the title on September 5 in Nha Trang, Vietnam, after reaching the Top 6 of the Miss World competition.
The clinical audiologist from KaNyamazane, Mpumalanga, delivered one of South Africa’s strongest performances at the international pageant since Rolene Strauss won the Miss World crown in 2014.
But beyond the achievement, attention now turns to what comes next.
Before travelling to Vietnam, Hombir said she wanted to improve access to healthcare, expand mobile health screenings and support education through her non-profit organisation, the Caring Purpose Foundation.
The foundation has reportedly assisted more than 770 people, according to information published through the pageant.
Hombir has also spoken about her ambition to work with the United Nations on healthcare, education and nutrition.
These commitments provide a basis for assessing how she intends to use the visibility and influence that come with her new title.
Hombir was crowned Miss World South Africa on Mandela Day, July 18, by African Beauty International, which holds the country’s Miss World franchise.
Her humanitarian work was central to her pageant campaign. Through Caring Purpose, she has focused on healthcare access, literacy, nutrition and skills development in underserved communities.
Before the international final, she said the foundation would continue its work through mobile health screenings, nutrition initiatives and educational programmes.
Her continental title gives her an additional platform to promote those causes beyond South Africa.
In her answer during the Miss World final, Hombir emphasised the importance of restoring hope, dignity and care in communities.
She said she intended to bring the same commitment to service to the role of Miss World Africa.
The question now is how those ambitions will translate into activities and measurable outcomes during her tenure.
Africa Daily sought clarification from Hombir and African Beauty International about the engagements she has undertaken since her crowning, the projects she is pursuing and the plans for her tenure.