Langa Mabena
B Metro Reporter
THE countdown has started for Sakhile Dube, from Bulawayo, who won the Miss Universe Zimbabwe title and will represent the country in Mexico.
The 27-year-old beat 17 other contestants in Harare in May, having won Miss Earth Zimbabwe in 2022 and Miss Supranational Africa in 2023. She is studying Fashion Designing and Styling at the Milan School of Fashion in Italy.
The Miss Universe finals will be held on November 14 and 16 at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City and organisers have promised a new show format. Preliminary and national costume competitions will take place on November 14, followed by the final competition on November 16.
This year’s pageant will feature the return of Belize, Botswana, China, Cuba, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan and Samoa. Iran is also sending a representative for the first time, but under the title of Miss Universe Persia.
Dube won the hearts of the Zimbabwe audiences and judges not only with her stunning beauty but also her campaign for the welfare of orphans in the country.
Dube started the Zibusiso Foundation in 2021, with the aim to empower orphaned and vulnerable children in Zimbabwean communities through mentorship programmes, vocational skills development and sustainable income generating projects. She went to Sizane High School in Pelandaba, Bulawayo.
For Dube, who was orphaned at a tender age herself, the triumph at the pageant represents a victory against the odds and the importance of having an indomitable spirit in life. For her victory in the Zimbabwe pageant, Dube was awarded a car, a Mercedes Benz C200 2020 model courtesy of Style by Minnie and a cash prize of US$10 000, which she will share with her princesses.
“I am happy to win this pageant. It is a dream come true. I will share the prize money with my princesses, but for my chunk, I am going to use it to fund Zibusiso Foundation, which works in communities to empower and mentor orphaned children through educational support,” she said upon being crowned. —(B Metro/Online sources)
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