Beauty pageant or cash cow? Mrs SA boss defends profit motive

Joani Jacobs, the CEO Mrs South Africa and national director of Miss Supranational South Africa has admitted that her pageants are a money-making business.

She said her company runs on entry fees, ticket sales and sponsorships, and must turn a profit.

"Mrs South Africa (Pty) Ltd is a privately owned company. It is not a non-profit organisation, nor has it ever represented itself as one. We operate a legitimate commercial enterprise through sponsorships, events, entry fees and ticket sales. Like any other business, we must generate income, cover substantial operational and production costs, employ people and remain profitable and sustainable," Jacobs said.

"The questions concerning entry fees, sponsorship fees, licence fees, ticket sales and profitability appear to begin from the premise that a women's empowerment platform should not operate as a commercial business. That premise is incorrect. These revenue streams fund the infrastructure, staff, events, production, training and opportunities that make the programme possible," she continued.

But Jacobs won't say how much the women chasing her crowns must pay to keep that business running.

She refused to answer Africa Daily's questions on:

• how much sponsorship contestants must raise;
• their ticket quotas;
• what a contestant spends from entry to the final;
• how much of the charity money finalists raise the company keeps.

"Having reviewed the follow-up questions, it is clear that many are framed around predetermined negative conclusions rather than a neutral request for information. I have already engaged openly and in good faith, and I am not prepared to participate in an open-ended interrogation of my company or respond to this new questionnaire line by line," she said.

The Miss Supranational South Africa rules, published on the Mrs South Africa website, show that contestants carry much of the cost.

Every entrant paid a non-refundable fee of R347.

Semi-finalists "will bear the cost of her travel, accommodation, meals, outfits, hair and makeup, throughout her journey as a Semi-finalist as there are many contestants at this stage."

The 25 finalists must "secure a Gold Sponsorship towards their journey in the competition" and sell tickets to official events.

The rules do not say how much the sponsorship must be.

Contestants who quit lose their money. The rules say "any monies paid to the Organisation, prior to resignation or withdrawal is non-refundable at any stage".

Jacobs said finalists gain "training, exposure, personal development, business opportunities, and access to an extensive professional network".

Earlier, asked about contestant costs, she said: "All applicable entry or participation fees and obligations are communicated transparently to contestants before they commit to the programme."

She also would not say what her company pays for the licence. "A licence fee is paid directly to the Miss Supranational Organisation in Poland in accordance with our licensing agreement," she said.

Jacobs said her latest response was her final input on the matter.

She took over the Miss Supranational South Africa licence in September 2026 from Bokang Montjane-Tshabalala's African Beauty International. She said her company did not buy it from ABI, but signed a new agreement directly with the international organisation.