Zozibini Tunzi (Miss Universe 2019)

• Zozibini Tunzi is a South African model and winner of the beauty pageant “Miss Universe 2019.”

• She was born in a small town of the Eastern Cape in South Africa.

• She used to work at Ogilvy Cape Town, while she was pursuing her graduation.

• Tunzi participated in the Miss South Africa competition in 2017. She was selected among top 26 semi-finalists but failed to get selected in top 12 contestants.

  

• In 2019, she participated in the same beauty pageant, and on 26 June 2019, she was selected among the top 35 semi-finalists. After a series of competitions, she was selected as one of the 16 finalists on 11 July 2019.

• On 9 August 2019, she won Miss South Africa title. The event was broadcasted live on Mzansi Magic channel of South Africa. The beauty pageant was held at Sun Arena at the Time Square, Pretoria, South Africa.

• Tunzi was crowned as the 61st Miss South Africa by Tamaryn Green of Western Cape (60th Miss South Africa). The first runner in the pageant was Sasha-Lee Olivier, who represented South Africa in Miss World 2019.

  

• On winning the title, Tunzi received R1 million, a car, and a fully furnished apartment worth R5 million in Sandton Johannesburg. However, she could only use the apartment until her entry into the Miss Universe pageant.

• Tunzi represented her country in the Miss Universe beauty pageant held at Tyler Perry Studios, Atlanta, Georgia on 8 December 2019. The event was hosted by the American comic-turned-TV personality, Steve Harvey, and the whole event was broadcasted on Fox TV.

• Zozibini Tunzi was crowned as the Miss Universe 2019 by Catriona Gray (Miss Universe 2018 from the Philippines).

  

• The first runner up of Miss Universe 2019 was Madison Anderson from Puerto Rico and the second runner up was Sofía Aragón from Mexico.

  

• Tunzi’s role model is her parents. In an interview, she said,

My mother taught me the importance of being kind and humble and always helpful to those around me and my father taught me the importance of education, hard work and discipline.”

• Tunzi became the third Miss South Africa title holder to win the Miss Universe crown. The other two ladies who won this title were Margaret Gardiner (1978) and Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters (2017).

• Many high profile celebrities across the world congratulated her on her success in the 2019 Miss Universe pageant. Oprah Winfrey tweeted and congratulated her,

Congratulations Miss South Africa, the new Miss Universe @zozitunzi! Agree with you…leadership is the most powerful thing we should be teaching young women today. We welcome your visit to #OWLAG, our Leadership Academy for Girls.”

• In her final question round of Miss Universe 2019, she was asked what we should be teaching young girls today. Her answer was “leadership.” She added,

It’s something that has been lacking in young girls and women for a very long time – not because we don’t want to, but because of what society has labelled women to be. I think we are the most powerful beings on the world, and that we should be given every opportunity.And that is what we should be teaching these young girls – to take up space.”

• She walked the ramp in the New York Fashion Week 2019 for Maxhosa, the fashion label from the South African designer, Laduma Ngxokolo.

• In her Facebook post, she adored the beauty of Miss World 1994, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

• She has been actively working for women’s rights and equality and promoting the “HeForShe” campaign (a solidarity campaign for the advancement of gender equality, initiated by the UN).