SA’s Miss Universe living the dream

South Africa’s newly crowned Miss Universe has moved into her new apartment in New York City after winning the crown in Las Vegas on Sunday night.

Twenty two-year old Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters beat out runners-up Miss Colombia, Laura Gonzalez and Miss Jamaica, Davina Bennett.

She became only the second South African to win the Miss Universe Pageant after Margaret Gardiner’s win in 1978.

Speaking to SABC on the deck of the Empire State Building in the Big Apple, the Sedgefield native says, “It’s indescribable to feel something you’ve been dreaming about since you were a little girl, to have that become a reality, I don’t know how to put that into words but its surreal. I’m so happy and I’m on cloud nine.”

“I think as Miss Universe, you represent countries all over the world and you have to be up to date on issues going on. I am a woman and I stand up for woman rights but I stand up for human rights as well, so I think its so important to be up to date and to have an opinion and to stand for something. If you’re not going to stand for something you going to fall for anything.”