Chengeto Kanyai grabbed the Miss Ebony Zimbabwe 2025 crown last Friday. She outshone Bulawayo native Samukele Dlamini, who became the first Princess, and Masvingo resident Lerato Masocha, who landed the second Princess.
The first-ever pageant ran virtually from Harare, with "Empowering Through Diversity" as its theme. Organizers switched to an online format, just like Miss World did during COVID-19. They pointed to unexpected problems as the reason behind this change.
The event should have happened at Robbi Mupawose Hall at the Harare Agricultural Show Ground. Instead, everybody gathered at Mudziyashe. Kanyai studies Business Management, focusing on Systems Design and Applications, at the University of Zimbabwe.
Her win earned her a trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, as Zimbabwe's representative. There, she'll promote decolonized beauty messages across Africa. Kanyai felt super excited about winning because this was only her second beauty contest ever.
She jumped into modeling last year when Miss UZ became her first attempt. Kanyai feels happy about her new title and can't wait for her South African journey. She thanked everyone who organized the pageant for giving her this amazing opportunity.
Earlier, Kanyai wasn't sure about entering beauty competitions. She always loved modeling, but her parents worried about these activities. After starting colleg,e she decided to chase her dream anyway. Her family later became her biggest fans and supporters.
Samukele Dlamini made quite a splash by winning the 1st Princess position and the People's Choice Award during her first pageant. Although she wanted the main crown, she accepted the results as part of a bigger plan.
Dlamini appreciated just being part of everything and valued all she learned. The boot camp sparked her entrepreneurship passion again. She plans to perfect her runway walk before trying other contests like Miss Earth or Miss Environment.
At the same time, another competition made headlines elsewhere. Miss Teen of the Universe Zimbabwe picked its final fifteen contestants at De Lux Villa and Conference Center in Bulawayo. These finalists will head to Harare in July to compete for the crown.
The first-ever pageant ran virtually from Harare, with "Empowering Through Diversity" as its theme. Organizers switched to an online format, just like Miss World did during COVID-19. They pointed to unexpected problems as the reason behind this change.
The event should have happened at Robbi Mupawose Hall at the Harare Agricultural Show Ground. Instead, everybody gathered at Mudziyashe. Kanyai studies Business Management, focusing on Systems Design and Applications, at the University of Zimbabwe.
Her win earned her a trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, as Zimbabwe's representative. There, she'll promote decolonized beauty messages across Africa. Kanyai felt super excited about winning because this was only her second beauty contest ever.
She jumped into modeling last year when Miss UZ became her first attempt. Kanyai feels happy about her new title and can't wait for her South African journey. She thanked everyone who organized the pageant for giving her this amazing opportunity.
Earlier, Kanyai wasn't sure about entering beauty competitions. She always loved modeling, but her parents worried about these activities. After starting colleg,e she decided to chase her dream anyway. Her family later became her biggest fans and supporters.
Samukele Dlamini made quite a splash by winning the 1st Princess position and the People's Choice Award during her first pageant. Although she wanted the main crown, she accepted the results as part of a bigger plan.
Dlamini appreciated just being part of everything and valued all she learned. The boot camp sparked her entrepreneurship passion again. She plans to perfect her runway walk before trying other contests like Miss Earth or Miss Environment.
At the same time, another competition made headlines elsewhere. Miss Teen of the Universe Zimbabwe picked its final fifteen contestants at De Lux Villa and Conference Center in Bulawayo. These finalists will head to Harare in July to compete for the crown.
