Meet South Africa's Tshego Gaelae, first Black woman to win Mrs World

Relebogile Mabotja interviews Tshego Gaelae, Mrs World 2025.

Listen below:

South Africa’s very own Tshego Gaelae is a name you’ll never forget.

Her historic win as Mrs World isn’t just a victory for South Africa – it’s a monumental moment for Black women around the world. 

"I'm still so elated. I'm still having a whirlwind of emotions. I still go back to the moment and I can literally feel how the stage felt under my feet."

- Tshego Gaelae, Mrs World 2025

As the first Black woman to take the title in the competition's 40-year history, Gaelae is a powerhouse: a passionate advocate for women’s empowerment, a trailblazing attorney, an entrepreneur, and a social media influencer teaching South Africans about their rights.

As a wife and mom, her winning formula was simple: stay true to yourself, embrace authenticity, and allow the journey to transform you.

"People will say the nastiest things to try and pressure you and try to bring you down, but it doesn't change who I am, it doesn't make me any less of a queen, of being proud of who I am."

- Tshego Gaelae, Mrs World 2025

As Mrs World, she is committed to being a representative of the Mrs World platform and using it to create sustainable change for children.

Above all, she says that she's dedicated to having fun and sharing South Africa’s beauty, diversity, vibrancy, and limitless potential with the world.

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.