Miss South Africa was crowned Miss Universe on Sunday at the pageant held in Las Vegas, with Miss Colombia and Miss Jamaica also making it to the final three.
Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, 22, comes from Western Cape Province and recently earned a business management degree from North-West University.
Nel-Peters helps train women in self-defense after she was hijacked and held at gunpoint about a month after winning Miss South Africa tittle.
In a video on the Miss Universe website, she said that her passion is self defense which was reinforced after the incident.
The runner-up was actress Laura Gonzalez of Colombia, who was followed by second runner-up Davina Bennett of Jamaica.
Gonzalez has been preparing to be an actress since the age of 16. After graduating from a performing arts school, she moved to Bogotá to build her career.
Davina Bennett, 21 is a model pursuing a degree in marketing at the University of the West Indies.
