Zozibini Tunzi- Miss South Africa wins the title of Miss Universe 2019

Miss South Africa Zozibini Tunzi has won the title of Miss Universe 2019 at the finale held at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.

Tunzi was born in Tsolo, Eastern Cape to parents Philiswa Nadapu and Lungisa Tunzi, and raised in the nearby village of Sidwadweni. Tunzi is one of three sisters.

She later moved to Cape Town, settling in the Gardens suburb, to attend Cape Peninsula University of Technology, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and image management in 2018.

Zozibini Tunzi began her pageantry career in 2017, when she was accepted as one of the top 26 semifinalists of Miss South Africa 2017, although she was not selected as one of the twelve finalists.

She returned to pageantry to compete in the Miss South Africa 2019 competition. Of the initial applications, Zozibini Tunzi was selected to continue as one of the top 35 semifinalists after being confirmed as one on 26 June 2019.

After further auditions, Tunzi was announced as one of the sixteen finalists on 11 July. She progressed through the stages of the final, advancing to the top ten, then top five, and finally the top two until she was crowned the winner by predecessor Tamaryn Green, besting runner-up Sasha-Lee Olivier.

Prior to winning Miss South Africa, Zozibini Tunzi was completing a Bachelor of Technology graduate degree in public relations management at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, and worked as a graduate intern in the public relations department of Ogilvy Cape Town.

India’s Vartika Singh also contested in the pageant and made it to Top 20 but lost out on the Top 20 battle.

The 2019 Miss Universe Pageant had 90 contestants who competed in swimsuit, evening gown and on-stage question rounds.

Mexico, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Thailand, and South Africa were among the top five contenders, but the South African beauty beat the others in the run up to the coveted crown.

South Africa’s Zozibini and Puerto Rico’s Madison Anderson were the top two contestants.