You South Africa – 22 August 2019

INSTAGRAM/@ZOZITUNZI

Shewasbody-

confidentasshe

tooktotheMiss

SAstageon

Women’sDay.

you.co.za 22 AUGUST (^2019) | 95
U NEWS
Zozi insists this is part of who she is
now and she’s not going to change for
anyone.
“When I entered this time, the first
thing some of my friends asked me was
if I was going to wear a weave. But this is
my hair. It’s been this way for the past
two years and I plan to keep it this way.
“I came into this competition with my
natural hair as a symbol of my firm belief
in being yourself,” she adds. “When I
jumped off my flight to meet the first
group of finalists, I saw two girls – one
had a chiskop [shaved head], one had
dreadlocks.
“I thought I was going to be the strange
one with my short, curly hair, but it
wasn’t like that at all. Everyone was cel-
ebrating who they were. That’s when I
knew this platform had changed – and
for the better. We’re called the rainbow
nation because of how different we are.”
Zozi’s love for the stage started when
she was a little girl. She was just seven
when she took part in her first pageant
at a Methodist church in Tsolo.
She says she was timid as a child but
venturing on stage allowed her to open
up and be herself.
“When I say I was shy, I don’t mean it
in a cute way. I had no friends, I didn’t
want to play sport. I was scared of peo-
ple. Then there was a pageant in church
and my mom took me there. That’s when
I started making friends andcomingout
of my shell.”
Her confidence grew andat
worth High School she joinedth
speaking and debating team
school she entered pageantsand
she won the titles of Miss CapeP
la University of Technology(CP
Miss Mamelodi Sundowns.
Her biggest supporters areher
mom Philiswa, a principal fromId
the Eastern Cape, and dad Lung
works for the department of highe
tion and training in Pretoria.
They split up in 2011 but were
their daughter’s side at thep
along with Zozi’s sisters,Yan
Siba balwe (24) and Ayakha(13)
“I have no words. It’s unbeli
Lungisa said backstage afterhi
ter’s crowning. “A rural boy
having a child as Miss SA... It’ss
ing. We’ve been praying for thism
and here it is.”
“It’s awesome,” Philiswaad
thank God because we didn’tdo
on our own. It’s by God’s grace.”

N

OT only has Zozi earned a

glittering title, she’s R1 mil-

lion richer and will rake in

another R2 million’s worth of

sponsorships and prizes, in-

cluding the use of a luxury

Sandton apartment and a Mercedes-

Benz cabriolet for a year.

“Funny thing is I now have a car but I

don’t have a driver’s licence yet so I defi-

nitely need to sort that out.”

She plans to put some of her winnings

towards paying her student debt. Before

the run-up to the pageant, Zozi was

study ing part time towards a BTech in

public relations at CPUT while working

as an intern at a PR firm.

Back in 2016 she had to drop out of her

undergrad PR studies after being finan-

cially excluded. She managed to secure

a bursary and registered to do her course

this year – now her win means she can

afford to pay her debt.

Zozi is excited for the year ahead. She’s

especially looking forward to represent-

ing SA at the Miss Universe pageant in

South Korea in December.

“I feel blessed because my first time

abroad is going to be as Miss South Afri-

ca and that’s not something everyone

gets to say. It’s special,” she says.

Her magical night might still be a bit of

a blur but Zozi is clear about one thing:

she plans to use her reign to touch the

lives of others.

“I always knew I had to find a way to

be a catalyst for positive change. Finally,

everything hascome full circle and I find

myself readytodeliver on the promises

I’vebeenmakin sinceI wasa child.”S

diplomainpublicrelationsmanagement

attheCapePeninsulaUniversityof

Technology. She’ll use some of her prize

money to pay off her student debt.

RIGHT: Looking fierce with her natural

hair while working out for the pageant.

g g

hehopestoshowyoungpeoplethattheir

reamsarevalidtoo.

ABOVE: Lastyear Zozigraduated with a

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ievable,”

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