South African Actress Cynthia Shange Receives Outpouring of Tributes

Cynthia Shange, celebrated as the first Black woman to represent South Africa at Miss World during the apartheid era, has died at 76. Her daughter, Nonhle Thema, confirmed her passing and honored Shange’s enduring compassion and influence.

Shange became a household name in the 1970s when she took the Miss World stage for South Africa. Under apartheid, Black women were barred from entering Miss South Africa and instead built their own platforms through parallel pageants. Shange captured one of those crowns, winning Miss Africa South, which propelled her to international recognition.

Thoko Didiza, Speaker of the National Assembly, and Ms Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, offered heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, colleagues, and the broader arts community.