Zozibini Tunzi

A powerful and versatile speaker, Zozibini Tunzi first gained national attention after delivering a memorable winning answer to host Steve Harvey during the 2019 Miss Universe competition. Zozi, as she is known, responded, and rallied young women to “take up space”. These words became her battle cry not only to the pageant judges who awarded her the coveted title, but to young girls and women around the world watching the television show. She emphasized that the time was now for them to take their place in society and cement themselves in the history books.

Before becoming Miss Universe, Tunzi worked for a global advertising agency and has a huge passion for music and the arts. She begins in pageantry after noting the women before her using the opportunity to become leaders in their communities and use the impact for the greater good. She watched former titleholders utilize their huge following to influence, spark change or continue conversations as young community leaders. Tunzi looked forward to winning the crown and the opportunity to use her title as a microphone and to be a catalyst for positive change. She managed to achieve some of her wishes, and she spoke frequently about women empowerment, diversity and inclusion in the beauty industry, media, and other industries during her reign as Miss Universe.

As Miss Universe, Tunzi has been spending a big part of her year speaking out against gender-based violence and pushing forward gender equality, not only on social media, but on multiple panels across the world. She spent her year advocating for organizations including UN Women #HeForSheCampagin, Latino Commission on Aids and Smile Train International to name a few.