Online Reporter
H-Metro Reporter
MALAIKA Mashandu was brief, and to the point – “it is now a legal matter. Talk to my lawyers.”
That was her response when contacted by H-Metro after her shock dethronement from her crown as Miss Cosmo Zimbabwe.
Her decision to refer all questions to her lawyers has added another layer of intrigue to a saga that has already sent the local pageant fraternity into overdrive. But, amid the controversy, one question is increasingly being asked: Is Malaika’s dethronement the reason she never received the car she won as part of her Miss Cosmo Zimbabwe prize package?
Malaika was among the queens announced as winners at the Miss Universe Zimbabwe 2026 finale, where cars and cash prizes were presented to the successful titleholders.
However, unlike some of the other queens, Malaika did not receive her car – leaving pageant followers wondering whether the dispute surrounding her title had already been brewing behind the scenes.
And that raises another uncomfortable question.
If the organisation already knew there were issues surrounding Malaika, why was this not made clear at the time of the crowning and prize presentation?
The issue has now become even murkier because the dethronement announcement came after a significant period of silence.
WHY AFTER TWO MONTHS?
The Miss Cosmo Zimbabwe organisation stated that Malaika ceased to hold the title with effect from June 23, citing matters relating to misconduct and ineligibility.
That has left many asking why the public announcement came only after almost two months.
- If the decision was made in June, why was it not communicated then?
- And, if the car was withheld because of the same concerns, why was that not explained to the public when the other queens received their prizes?
For many pageant followers, the timing has become as controversial as the dethronement itself.
A source close to the Miss Cosmo Zimbabwe camp, speaking on condition of anonymity, however, said the matter was already a legal issue from the beginning. “It was already a legal matter from the start, not just today,” the source said.
That claim potentially explains why the organisation has been reluctant to publicly discuss the details of the dispute.
But it also raises another question: if it was already a legal matter from the beginning, why was there no public explanation when the car was not handed over?
The silence has done little to calm the pageant community. Instead, fellow queens and models have rallied behind Malaika, with calls for justice and transparency gaining momentum online.
Model and former beauty queen, Rumbidzai Muzopa, has also weighed into the debate on social media, questioning the circumstances surrounding the dethronement and adding to calls for answers.
The growing chorus from the pageant fraternity is not necessarily demanding that Malaika be declared right or wrong before the matter is determined.
Rather, they want to know what happened.
And then there is TikTok.
The platform has become the unofficial courtroom of the controversy, with pageant followers dissecting every development and demanding answers from the Miss Cosmo Zimbabwe leadership. Some users have gone as far as directly blasting the Miss Cosmo organisation.
The debate has now moved beyond a crown.
It is about transparency, accountability, prizes, timing and due process.
Malaika, meanwhile, has chosen the legal route.
Her “talk to my lawyers” response suggests that whatever happened behind the scenes may eventually have to be unpacked away from social media.
For now, however, one thing remains unanswered: If the matter was already legal from the start, why did the public have to wait almost two months to hear about Malaika’s dethronement – and why was the missing car never properly explained?
Those questions are unlikely to disappear anytime soon.
