Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi apology. Photo: Miss SA/Twitter
Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi apology. Photo: Miss SA/Twitter
After conquering the world stage at the Miss Universe pageant, South Africa’s Zozibini Tunzi has finally returned home and been welcomed by her rapturous, adoring fans.
Despite her gargantuan success over the last few months, her work is far from over, as it was announced that President Cyril Ramaphosa has elected 26-year-old Tunzi as an ambassador for gender-based violence (GBV) on the African continent.
Arts and Culture deputy minister Nocawe Mafu announced the news during Tunzi’s homecoming celebrations at a stadium in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape.
On Sunday, Ramaphosa officially began his tenure as chairperson of the African Union (AU).
Empowering young people
“There is a problem in Africa, of GBV that is gripping the continent,” she said. Ramaphosa said that he is able to tackle the issue, because he “has an ambassador in South Africa by the name of Zonzibini Tunzi”.
“She has been able to answer the question of ‘Who am I?’. Once you have been able to answer this, you will be able to achieve great things as a young person.”
Speaking at the homecoming celebrations, Tunzi said that now was a time to put actions to words.
“I am so grateful and lucky to have been able to go to the world and tell the story of South African women and children. Speaking about empowering young women and boys. I’m now hoping that I can put actions to my words. I am very excited to start working in South Africa,” she said.
Who would have thought?
Mafu delivered a cringeworthy faux pas as she quoted the late great Maya Angelou, saying that “he is a very successful poet”.
“Some of you might know him, some of you might not know him,” she said.
Minor blunder aside, the poignancy of her poem “A Brave and Startling Truth” was nonetheless evident.
“This poem speaks about how good things, impossible things, can come from places you would not expect them to come from,” she said.
“Nobody would have thought in a million years that you would be Miss Universe from Esidwadweni in Tsolo.”
GBV fight ‘just beginning’
Tunzi’s advocacy for gender equality and the fight against GBV started back in December 2019 when she was crowned Miss Universe.
She said then that time was up when it came to “dimming the light” of women who strive for positions of power in all aspects of society.
““The most important thing we should be teaching young girls today is leadership. It’s something that has been lacking in young girls and women for a very long time, not because we don’t want to [lead], but because of what society has labelled women to be,” she said.
“I am so grateful and lucky to have been able to go to the world and tell the story of South African women and children. Speaking about empowering young women and boys. I’m now hoping that I can put actions to my words. I am very excited to start working in South Africa,” she said.
