... what's the story? Secret sisters?
No-no. Turns out they're long lost distant cousins.
I've been investigating to find out what the deal is and discovered that Bassie is Malesotse's dad's distant cousin. Which sort of makes them cousins, or third cousins. The pair have never met nor ever spoken to each other.
Of course I asked Malesotse whether Bassie's Miss SA success inspired her to enter too - she said: "I respect Basetsana Makgalemele for what she's achieved with her Miss SA status and yes, I think she's a good role model, I however, am doing the pageant for myself. I certainly look up to her but I'm trying to follow my own path to win the title."