Online Reporter
Tafadzwa Zimoyo-Zimpapers Entertainment Editor
ZIMBABWE has a new pageant heroine!
Brunette Makanaka Makanyiso has signed off her Miss World 2026 campaign with her head held high after breaking into the Top 12 in Vietnam, delivering one of the country’s strongest performances on the prestigious global stage.
The 26-year-old pharmacist did not just survive the gruelling Miss World journey — she fought her way to the business end of the competition, turning her ‘Beauty With a Purpose’ (BWP) project into the golden ticket that took her into the final 12.
And for Zimbabwe’s modelling and pageant fraternity, it was a result worth celebrating.
Brunette’s journey ended in Nha Trang on Saturday night, but her campaign had already secured its place in the history books when she emerged as one of the two global BWP winners.
That victory automatically propelled her into the Top 12, alongside Malaysia’s Taanusiya Chetty.
It was the defining moment of a campaign built around purpose, resilience and an ability to keep pushing when other doors closed.
Brunette had failed to advance through some of the earlier challenges, including Head-to-Head and Talent, but she refused to disappear.
Instead, she found her strongest weapon – purpose.
The lanky model, first made the African Top Six in the BWP challenge, competing against representatives from Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Uganda.
She then went one step further, emerging as one of the two overall global winners.
BWP is at the heart of the Miss World philosophy, requiring contestants to demonstrate how their platforms can create meaningful change in their communities.
Brunette’s project focused on youth empowerment, vocational skills and grassroots development, giving her an opportunity to showcase a side of Zimbabwe that exists beyond the pageant runway.
Her victory was not simply about beauty but substance.
And when the pressure mounted, Brunette delivered again.
Standing among the final 12, the Chitungwiza-born queen faced one of the most important moments of the competition — the question-and-answer segment.
She was asked what advice she would give someone who wanted to start their own BWP project.
Brunette’s answer was simple.
“Start, however small, you have.”
She then drew from her own journey, explaining that she did not begin with everything in place.
“I started with nothing and I took a step forward to achieve my dreams. And I’m here standing on the stage.”
That was Brunette in a nutshell.
No complicated speech or unnecessary theatrics.
Just a message about starting somewhere, taking the first step and believing that small efforts can eventually create meaningful change.
“Take that step and go forward and your projects can make it.”
For a queen who had travelled thousands of kilometres from Zimbabwe to Vietnam, those words carried particular weight.
Long before the international spotlight, Brunette’s story began in Chitungwiza, where she grew up before pursuing her professional career.
She went on to qualify as a pharmacist, bringing an academic and professional dimension to her pageant journey.
That combination of beauty, brains and purpose became one of her biggest strengths.
On June 6, she clinched the Miss World Zimbabwe 2026 title at the Harare Hippodrome, earning the right to carry the country’s hopes to Vietnam.
The responsibility was enormous.
She was following a line of Zimbabwean women who had already left their mark at Miss World.
Brunette now joins the country’s most successful Miss World representatives.
Angeline Musasiwa remains Zimbabwe’s highest-placed contestant, finishing fourth — third runner-up — at Miss World in 1994.
Years later, Malaika Mushandu made the Top 15 in 2011.
Now Brunette has added another major milestone with her Top 12 finish.
Three generations of Zimbabwean queens and different eras.
Back home, the modelling industry has every reason to be excited.
Brunette’s performance has provided fresh momentum for Zimbabwean pageantry at a time when the industry is hungry for queens who can combine international polish with substance.
Her campaign has also raised the standard for the next Miss World Zimbabwe.
The next queen will have a difficult act to follow.
She will have to compete, communicate, advocate and command the stage — just as Brunette did.
For local models and aspiring beauty queens, her achievement is also a reminder that international success is possible.
The crown may be difficult to win, but Zimbabwe can certainly compete for it.
The ultimate prize, however, went to Joheirry Mola Dominguez of the Dominican Republic, who was crowned Miss World 2026 in Nha Trang.
Spain’s Elisabeth Reynés Alabern finished first runner-up, while Malaysia’s Taanusiya Chetty was second runner-up.
Brunette is expected to arrive back home this week, and the reception is likely to be a fitting welcome for a queen who has spent weeks carrying the national flag on the global stage.
