After the announcement of Romanda Hombir as the South African representative for the 75th Anniversary Edition of Miss World, many locals are questioning the 27-year-old clinical audiologist’s nationality because of her surname.
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The backlash comes after xenophobic controversy surrounding fellow beauty queen Chidimma Adetshina during the Miss South Africa 2024 pageant. She faced public scrutiny over her citizenship and right to represent the country because of her Nigerian and Mozambican parents.
2026 Miss World South Africa sparks debate
Romanda received the prestigious title on Mandela Day, 18 July, at the Barnyard Theatre, Menlyn, Pretoria.
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However, many people online wondered which South African tribe the surname ‘Hombir’ belonged to and claimed that the beauty pageant organisers, former Miss South Africa Bokang Montjane-Tshabalala’s company African Beauty International, welcomed non-South Africans to compete, reports PSAFLive.
While some remained critical, others found it unnecessary that the representative’s identity was put under a microscope.
“Are we really going to scrutinise every surname because it’s not familiar?! Nah man, come on… what is this now, ethnic cleansing?” asked a stunned @ChiskopAndSmile.
@king_meeka added, “Is she legally in South Africa? That’s the conversation, please. If she is, congratulations to her.”
“At some point we have to ask ourselves who’s funding the beauty pageant and what could be their endgame. There’s definitely something they know that we don’t,” speculated @mvelase_le31984.
@LadyHe shared their opinion, writing, “At the rate, South Africans are mixed with every clan and nationality. This really shouldn’t be a thing or basis of investigation unless you’re just plain xenophobic or tribalist.”
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Who is Romanda Hombir?
The pageant queen, who is also a motivational speaker and model, hails from Mpumalanga and is of Swati, Zulu and German heritage. She is the founder of the Caring Purpose Foundation, a community-driven organisation dedicated to expanding access to healthcare, literacy programmes, nutritious meals, mobile health screenings and skills development in underserved communities.
Romanda is equally passionate about women’s health, using her platform to raise awareness of conditions such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and fibroids.
The 75th Anniversary Edition of the Miss World Festival takes place in Vietnam from 9 August to 5 September 2026.
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