The report states that “widespread and mostly underreported gender based violence, including rape and domestic violence, continued across the country in 2018.”

It was that moment at the Miss South Africa pageant that inspired Tunzi’s national costume at Miss Universe, where she took home the crown on Sunday night

“We have had such a huge number of women missing, women dying every day, getting raped, getting killed,” Tunzi told Insider. “So in that moment I thought to myself, ‘Actually, there’s nothing happening at the moment to make us smile.’ And I did kind of end it off by saying, ‘We need to start speaking to the perpetrators and challenging them to do better when it comes to taking care of women and treating women better.’”

After she was crowned Miss South Africa in August, Tunzi knew she wanted to incorporate that very challenge into her journey to Miss Universe.

“I thought to myself, I used that platform – let me not let it die there,” she recalled. “Let me extend it and say, ‘I challenged you men, so I challenge you a bit further to show love to women, to show your support instead of going the violent way that we’ve been

It’s a societal issue,” she added. “And we all need to work on it together to see it come to an end.”

One of the letters that particularly stuck out to Tunzi recognized this, she said. A man had written to her: “I hope the messages that you get are not about women being strong, because we must stop telling women to be strong, even when they don’t need to be strong, because of us.”

“I think that one touched me a lot because, that’s a compliment that people like to give to women, ‘Oh, you’re so strong,”‘ Tunzi said. “But we don’t have to be strong all the time. The reason why we go through a lot of things is because people think we’re strong and we can handle it. People think they can abuse women, they can handle

WINDHOEK – Africa and the world celebrated the victory of South African model, Zozibini Tunzi, who became the first black woman to bring the crown to Africa after Miss Universe 2011, Leila Lopes of Angola.
“I grew up in a world where a woman who looks like me, with my kind of skin and my kind of hair was never considered to be beautiful,” were some of the remarks the black beauty from the Xhosa tribe made before she was crowned Miss Universe 2019.

Tunzi did not only represent the South African community but also the entire African continent.
Social media was awash with congratulatory messages to the model with some claiming she had changed the perception of the term ‘beauty’ while others said one does not need to have long hair or white skin to win the crown.

A few years back, Tunzi realized that she was sick of spending hours in the salon. “I decided, no, this is not worth it,” she told the site. “I decided that I just want to go for a different look. I’m going to cut my hair and see how it looks from there. And I just remember looking into the mirror and loving it.”

On Sunday, Miss South Africa Zozibini Tunziwon the crown with her beautiful short, Afro-textured hair — and she did it despite being told by “a lot of people” that she should wear a wig.

“It was so strange because even a lot of people I knew, people that were my friends, were like, ‘Sis, we love you, but we’re just saying, maybe you should put on a wig or buy a weave,'” she told Insider.

A few years back, Tunzi realized that she was sick of spending hours in the salon. “I decided, no, this is not worth it,” she told the site. “I decided that I just want to go for a different look. I’m going to cut my hair and see how it looks from there. And I just remember looking into the mirror and loving it.”

When it came time for the pageant, she didn’t want to compromise her appearance to fit what her friends and advisors perceived as the “Miss Universe look”: long, straight hair. Instead, she decided to keep her natural hair and appear on the Miss Universe stage in the look she liked best.

“I was like, ‘No, you know what, I’m going to do it the way I am, because I’ve been with my natural hair for the past three years,”‘ she said. “I don’t see why I should change it just because I’m stepping into another platform.”

Tunzi chose to be herself, and she has a crown to show for it. Congrats to Tunzi on her history-making win — and for serving as one more reminder to define beauty on your own terms.

Johannesburg – If you’re wondering when newly crowned Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi will return to South Africa, the Miss South Africa Organisation has released a statement regarding the highly anticipated homecoming tour.

The Miss South Africa team tweeted on Friday that Zozi will definitely be returning home for a short stint, but they have not confirmed a date as of yet.

Instead, supporters are urged to keep an eye on the Miss Universe and Miss South Africa social media accounts for updates.

“Heads up to all Miss Universe fans! All homecoming information will be communication directly by the official Miss SA organisation and @MissUniverse once confirmed,” the post reads.

Look through the winners of Miss Universe from the past few decades, and you may notice a common trend: whether their hair is blond or brunette, red or black, their locks are almost always long.

That changed Sunday, when Miss South Africa Zozibini Tunzibecame the first woman with natural afro-textured hair to win the Miss Universe title. She was the first black woman to win the pageant since 2011 and also the first black Miss South Africa to wear the Miss Universe crown.

While Tunzi has been praised for her advocacy of natural beauty during the competition, the pageant queen told Insider that many people initially tried to persuade her to wear a wig instead.

was like, ‘No, you know what, I’m going to do it the way I am, because I’ve been with my natural hair for the past three years,”‘ she said. “I don’t see why I should change it just because I’m stepping into another platform.”

Tunzi said she wasn’t offended by her friends’ words, though, adding that they were just repeating what “society has taught us and engraved in our minds for such a long time.”

“In the past, I think that beauty has been stereotyped to look one certain way,” she continued. “When you open a magazine, that’s what you see. When you open television, that’s what you see. And it becomes embedded within society and ourselves.

Tunzi said she didn’t begin wearing her hair natural to make a statement. She said she had just grown tired of sitting in a salon chair for hours and wanted something new.