Online Reporter
Tafadzwa Zimoyo
Lifestyle Editor
Nha Trang will stop tonight — and somewhere in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe, people will be watching a girl from their own backyard step onto one of the world’s biggest beauty stages.
Brunette Makanaka Makanyiso, the 26-year-old pharmacist who was crowned Miss World Zimbabwe at the Harare Hippodrome on June 6, carries Zimbabwe’s hopes into tonight’s Miss World finale in Vietnam, where glamour, fashion, purpose and national pride will collide in one spectacular showdown.
For Chitungwiza, however, this is personal.
Could one of Chitown’s own bring home one of the most coveted crowns in international pageantry?
It is the kind of question that makes a beauty contest feel bigger.
Brunette has already travelled a remarkable distance — literally and figuratively — from Zimbabwe to Vietnam.
She arrived carrying the Zimbabwean sash, but behind that sash is a story that goes beyond the usual pageant narrative.
She is a trained pharmacist, a profession that immediately gives her a different dimension from the stereotypical image of a beauty queen. Her academic and professional background, combined with her interest in community development, youth empowerment and social impact, have helped shape the story she has taken to Miss World.
That story became particularly important during the Beauty With a Purpose challenge, where Brunette made the Top Six in Africa and the global Top 24.
It was a significant achievement because Beauty With a Purpose is at the heart of what modern Miss World represents — the belief that beauty should be accompanied by service and purpose.
And Brunette has been putting that philosophy into her campaign.
She may not have won every challenge in Vietnam. She did not make it through Head-to-Head or Talent, but anyone writing her off because of that would be making the classic mistake of judging a marathon by one kilometre.
Miss World is a long game.
There have been interviews, rehearsals, fashion shows, cultural engagements, charity activities, social-media challenges, performances and endless appearances.
The contestants have had to smile when tired, perform when nervous and remain composed while knowing that every photograph, every walk and every answer could potentially influence their journey.
Brunette has survived it all.
And she appears to have genuinely enjoyed the experience.
“Some little good moments. Nha Trang has shown us so much love, it is truly a pleasure being here,” she said, capturing the warmth she has experienced in the Vietnamese coastal city.
The contestants have not merely been dropped into Vietnam for a few days before the final. They have been immersed in the country.
They have tasted its food, experienced its hospitality, encountered its traditions, visited communities, explored its landmarks and participated in cultural events. They have also had to learn how to represent their own countries while becoming temporary ambassadors for Vietnam.
That has arguably been one of the strongest aspects of this year’s Miss World.
The girls have learnt about Vietnam.
They have learnt its culture, fashion, the people.
And they have taken those experiences onto the international stage.
Fashion, naturally, has been impossible to ignore.
Vietnam has provided one giant runway, with the traditional áo dài becoming one of the defining symbols of the festival, while Vietnamese designers have showcased their creativity through the Top Model challenge.
The contestants have already had their fashion moments, but tonight is different.
This is the runway that matters.
Expect gowns designed to stop the camera.
Expect crystals, sequins, dramatic trains, sculpted silhouettes, elaborate hairstyles and jewellery that could probably pay someone’s rent for a year.
But here is the uncomfortable fashion truth: expensive does not automatically mean elegant. Some contestants will undoubtedly arrive looking as though their stylists emptied the entire jewellery box onto them.
Others will understand the golden rule of fashion — sometimes less is more.
The winning look tonight will not necessarily be the biggest or most expensive.
It will be the one that makes the woman wearing it unforgettable.
And Brunette needs to understand that.
She should not allow the gown to become the headline.
She must be the headline.
The dress must frame her, not swallow her.
The hair must complement her face, not compete with it. The jewellery must add sophistication, not noise. And the walk must communicate confidence before she says a single word. Because the competition waiting for her is serious.
The Top 40 includes women who have already gained momentum through the various fast-track routes, including Sport, Head-to-Head, Talent and Top Model. Puerto Rico, Germany, Trinidad & Tobago, South Africa, the Philippines, Nigeria, France, the Dominican Republic and host country Vietnam are among the countries that have featured strongly in the automatic qualification race.
Vietnam’s own Lê Nguyễn Bảo Ngọc has become one of the home crowd’s favourites after making an impact in Top Model, while the African contingent has also shown that the continent has come to compete rather than simply participate. The road from Top 40 to the crown will be ruthless.
The field will be cut to the Top 20, then Top 12 and ultimately the final six before the new Miss World is crowned.
And that is where Zimbabwe’s history comes into play. Brunette does not need to look far for inspiration. Angeline Musasiwa remains the country’s greatest Miss World success story, having finished third runner-up in 1994.
Then came Malaika Mushandu, who reached the Top 15 in 2011.
Those women proved that Zimbabwe can compete deep into the Miss World competition. Brunette now has the chance to follow them.
But perhaps there is something even more powerful about her story.
Musasiwa created history.
Mushandu continued the legacy.
Brunette could write the next chapter.
And if that chapter happens to begin in Chitungwiza and end with the Miss World crown being placed on her head in Vietnam, it would become one of the greatest pageant stories Zimbabwe has ever produced.
Miss World itself has travelled an extraordinary journey.
Founded in 1951 by Eric Morley, the competition has evolved from its early beauty-contest roots into a global platform built around beauty, communication, culture and the organisation’s “Beauty With a Purpose” philosophy.
aRecent winners have included Thailand’s Opal Suchata, crowned Miss World 2025, Czech Republic’s Krystyna Pyszková, Poland’s Karolina Bielawska, Jamaica’s Toni-Ann Singh and Mexico’s Vanessa Ponce.
Tonight, Opal will take her final walk before handing over the crown.
The finale at Nha Trang’s 2 April Square is expected to provide the perfect theatrical setting, with the sea forming a spectacular backdrop to a stage designed for thousands of spectators and millions of viewers around the world.
The presenters and production team have already demonstrated the scale of the Vietnam festival through the “Dances of the World” spectacular, while Miss World 2016 Stephanie Del Valle has been at the centre of the festival’s presentation duties.
The final judging panel, however, should not be filled with speculation. Unless officially announced by the Miss World Organisation, names circulating online should be treated with caution.
But whoever sits on that panel will face the same difficult task — deciding which woman has the complete package.
Not simply the prettiest, the best dressed, the most popular online.
The complete woman.
The woman with presence.
The woman with purpose.
The woman who can communicate.
The woman who can walk into a room and change its temperature.
That is what Brunette must deliver tonight.
She has already demonstrated that she belongs in the conversation.
Now she has to make the world believe she belongs in the crown.
For Chitungwiza, the stakes feel even more emotional. A city known affectionately as Chitown could wake up tomorrow with a new kind of bragging rights.
One of its own could have walked onto a beachfront stage in Vietnam and made the entire world look towards Zimbabwe.
That is the dream.
That is the hope.
And that is why nobody should write Brunette off. She does not need to have won every challenge.
She does not need to have dominated every headline. She simply needs one extraordinary night.
One great walk.
One unforgettable look.
One powerful answer.
One moment when the judges stop seeing 111 contestants and start seeing one woman.
Brunette.
Zimbabwe.
Chitungwiza.
The lights are ready.
The gowns are ready.
The crown is waiting.
And tonight, the girl from Chitown gets her chance to make history.
There is only one way to find out.
