In honour of Africa Day today and the recent announcement of the top 30 finalists for this year’s Miss South Africa pageant, reminiscing about the beauty of African excellence is just the right thing to do.
Of the six winners, three South Africans have successfully taken the esteemed title of Miss Universe. Impressive, right?
Starting from the most recent winner, here are the six African women who dominated the competition and snatched the crown.
Miss Universe 2019: Zozibini Tunzi – South Africa
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Hailing from Tsolo, eSdwadweni in the Eastern Cape, Zozibini, also referred to as Zozi, was crowned Miss South Africa 2019 on Women’s Day at the age of 26. However, it was not the first time she entered the pageant.
In 2017, she entered the competition and was a part of the top 26 finalists but did not make it through to the top 12.
Zozi took the international crown in December 2019 at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States, beating 90 women at the 68th annual Miss Universe competition.
Miss Universe 2017: Demi-Leigh Tebow (née Nel-Peters) – South Africa
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A 27-year-old Demi-Leigh represented the Garden Route in the Western Cape when she competed in the Miss South Africa contest in 2017 under the surname Nel-Peters.
Now, Miss Universe 2017 is Mrs Tebow after moving to the United States and marrying American footballer Tim Tebow.
Miss Universe 2011: Leila Lopes – Angola
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Born Leila Luliana da Costa Vieira Lopes Umenyiora, the Miss Universe 2011 winner became the first Angolan to win the title at age 25 after competing against 88 other competitors from around the world.
The ex-beauty queen is now living in London, England with her Nigerian-British NFL player husband Osi Umenyiora and their two children.
Miss Universe 1999: Mpule Kwelagobe – Botswana
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A Motswana investor, businesswoman and model, Mpule won the title of Miss Universe at the age of 19, becoming the first Black African woman to win one of the ‘big four’ international beauty pageants – Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss International and Miss Earth.
Mpule also represented her country by being the first contestant from Botswana to win the title.
A year later, Mpule was appointed as the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Youth and HIV/AIDS.
Miss Universe 1992: Michelle McLean – Namibia
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Just like Mpule, Michelle has also been crowned Miss Universe at the age of 19.
After moving from Windhoek to Cape Town to Los Angeles, Michelle became a qualified actress after studying acting in Hollywood.
She holds many feathers in her cap. Not only was she a beauty queen but also a TV host, MC, motivational speaker and philanthropist.
Miss Universe 1978: Margaret Gardiner – South Africa
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In 1978, Margaret became the first African and South African woman to win the Miss Universe pageant. She was also the youngest African winner, taking the title at the young age of 18.
A journalist, author and model, Margaret can now be found in the presence of Hollywood’s icons as she is the fashion editor of the Golden Globes.
