When Cynthia Shange walked onto the Miss World stage in London<\/a> in 1972, she was doing more than competing in a beauty pageant. At a time when apartheid-era South Africa<\/a> barred Black women from even entering Miss South Africa, Shange became the first Black woman to represent the country at Miss World.<\/p>\n Now, according to the BBC<\/em><\/a>, the actress and trailblazer has died at 76.<\/p>\n COMPLEX SHOP:<\/b> Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what’s next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.<\/a><\/p>\n Shange died early Monday morning, April 20, in a hospital following an illness, according to local reports. Her daughter, Nonhle Thema, announced the news on Instagram.<\/p>\n \u201cWith a heavy heart,\u201d Thema wrote, asking followers to keep the family in their prayers.<\/p>\n She also shared a tribute calling her mother \u201ca graceful and compassionate soul whose presence brought warmth, dignity, and kindness to all those who knew her.\u201d<\/p>\n Born Cynthia Philisiwe Shange in Lamontville, Durban, in 1949, Shange rose to prominence in the early 1970s after winning Miss Africa South, a parallel pageant created because Black women were shut out of the official Miss South Africa competition.<\/p>\n She went on to compete at Miss World in London alongside the white Miss South Africa contestant and finished fifth\u2014a remarkable result in an era when the apartheid government was still trying to dictate who counted and who did not.<\/p>\n Her appearance on that stage made headlines far beyond pageant circles. Two years earlier, Pearl Gladys Jansen had become South Africa\u2019s first non-white contestant at Miss World, but under apartheid\u2019s racial classifications, she was categorized as \u201ccoloured.\u201d<\/p>\n Shange\u2019s entry marked the first time a Black South African woman had represented the country in the competition.<\/p>\n South Africa\u2019s Parliament<\/a> paid tribute to her on Tuesday, April 21, calling her \u201ca cultural pioneer, a trailblazer, and a powerful symbol of African excellence.\u201d<\/p>\n Shange\u2019s influence did not stop at pageants. After Miss World, she built a decades-long acting career and became one of the most recognizable faces in South African film and television.<\/p>\n She starred in Udeliwe<\/em>, widely regarded as one of South Africa\u2019s first Black feature films, and later appeared in the international historical drama Shaka Zulu<\/em>.<\/p>\n In 2024, she received a Lifetime Achiever award at the KZN Simon Mabhunu Sabela Awards for her contributions to acting.<\/p>\n <\/a> Miss Iceland Becomes Latest Miss Universe Contestant to Renounce Title<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/a> Miss Universe Jamaica Contestant Tyra Spaulding Dies by Suicide at 26<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/a> Historic Miss Universe Winner Dies 9 Days Before Her 81st Birthday<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Caitlyn Jenner Calls Herself a \u2018Hypocrite\u2019 Over 2015 \u2018Woman of the Year\u2019 Honor<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Dave Chappelle Says He’s ‘Considering’ Bringing ‘Chappelle\u2019s Show’ Back<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\nRelated News<\/h3>\n
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