Who is Mia Le Roux, First Deaf Woman to be Crowned as Miss South Africa?

New Delhi: Mia le Roux created history by becoming the first deaf woman crowned as Miss South Africa. After being announced as the winner following a divisive competition, she said, "I am a proud South African deaf woman and know what it feels to be excluded. But thanks to the Miss South Africa Organization, I have a foot in the world of the included and I want to build a bridge between those two worlds."

"I am a proud South African deaf woman and know what it feels to be excluded. But thanks to the Miss South Africa Organization, I have a foot in the world of the included and I want to build a bridge between those two worlds," the newly crowned Miss South Africa added.

Exuding her confidence, she said, "I  am a proudly South African deaf woman and I know what it feels like to be excluded. I know now that I was put on this planet to break boundaries and I did it tonight."

Who is Mia Le Roux?

Born in South Africa to a Nigerian father and a mother of Mozambican origin, Mia has been at the centre of social media for the past few weeks.

The model claimed to have been the victim of "black-on-black hate," which is a strain of xenophobia in South Africa called  "Afrophobia," which targets those from other African countries.

As per reports, the 28-year-old who is also a marketing manager was diagnosed with profound hearing loss at the age of one and had a cochlear implant to help her perceive sound. Furthermore, it took her two years of speech therapy before she was able to say her name first.