Online Reporter
Zimpapers Entertainment Editor
THIS month marks the emotional countdown to the end of Lyshanda Moyas’ reign as Miss Universe Zimbabwe — a journey defined by grit, grace and a relentless refusal to give up.
Had the pageant stuck to its traditional calendar, she would have been preparing to hand over her crown in just a matter of days.
But, with the competition now moved to June, the queen finds herself in a rare, reflective moment, standing between legacy and letting go.
And, she is not holding back.
“Fourteen years . . . that is how long I have been walking toward this moment,” she says, her voice steady but heavy with emotion.
“People see the crown, the gowns, the stage — but they don’t see the journey that started in Gweru, with a young girl who just wanted to be heard.”
Behind the glamour lies a story few expected.
A qualified nurse.
A woman stepping boldly into finance.
A beauty queen who refused to be boxed in. “The ‘bad’ days were the hardest,” Lyshanda admits.
“People would ask me, ‘How can you be a nurse and a model?’ or ‘Why finance?’
“But I realised the problem was never my path but it was people’s expectations. I had to believe that I could be all these things at once.”
At one point, the dream nearly slipped through her fingers. “After my last stage appearance in 2021, I almost walked away,” she said.
“I genuinely thought maybe my time had passed. I questioned if someone like me — a nurse from Zimbabwe — belonged on that global stage.”
But destiny had other plans.
When she finally stepped onto the Miss Universe stage, it wasn’t just a personal victory – it was a national moment.
And, when Zimbabwe was called into the Top 30, the weight of that achievement hit her all at once.
“I felt every Zimbabwean girl in that moment,” she said.
“The ones working 9-to-5 jobs while chasing 5-to-9 dreams. That wasn’t just my name being called, it was all of ours.”
She beams with pride recalling that Zimbabwe stood tall among Africa’s best.
“We were one of only three African countries in that top tier.
“That alone told me that we belong. From my Baobab-inspired costume to every word I spoke on that stage, I knew I wasn’t just representing a country. I was representing possibility.”
But for Lyshanda, the crown was never the destination, it was the platform.
“Today, the crown sits on my shelf, but the mission lives in my heart,” she says.
“I am now focusing on Sustainable Development Goal 9—Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. Because dreams without resources remain dreams.”
In a bold move beyond the runway, she launched the Lyshanda Moyas Educational Fund, an initiative aimed at equipping young Zimbabweans with real tools for success.
“I don’t want the next generation to just dream. I want them to build,” she said.
“We need infrastructure. We need access. That’s how we create real change.”
As her reign edges closer to its final chapter, Lyshanda is already thinking about what comes next, not just for herself, but for the woman who will take her place.
“To the next queen, I say this: do not fear rejection,” she said.
“My journey was full of ‘not yet’ moments. But every ‘not yet’ shaped me into who I am today.”
She pauses, then adds with conviction:
“This platform will give you a voice but it’s your responsibility to decide what you will say. Use it to uplift. Use it to innovate.
“Use it to leave Zimbabwe better than you found it.”
And, as the spotlight slowly dims on her reign, one thing is clear.
Lyshanda is not walking away. She is stepping forward.
“My journey is not a fairy tale,” she says.
“It’s a blueprint. And if a girl from Gweru can make the universe take notice, so can anyone.”
The crown may soon change hands but her impact is just getting started.
Mathew Masinge