26 year old Zozibini Tunzi has been crowned Miss Universe 2019 and South Africa is bursting with pride.

Her journey started in 2017 when she began her pageantry career. Two years later she was crowned Miss South Africa and jetted out to Atlanta in the USA to partake in Miss Universe. After making it into the semi-finals, Tunzi made it into the Top 10 – Colombia, France, Iceland, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Thailand and the United States.

After progressing through all the rounds during the three-hour live TV event, Tunzi was given one last chance to explain why she thought she should be crowned Miss Universe during her closing speech.

Watch the final question/speech, where Tunzi talks about wanting to empower young women to feel confident.

There have been many phenomenal achievements for South Africa this year. A few of the standouts include – Rugby World Cup finals, Netball triumphs, Choirs reaching the AGT finale, Blitz Boks winning in Dubai, and winning Miss Universe.

As we welcome in the festive season, let’s remember how great South Africa is when we stand together. The #HopeForTheHolidays concept is the idea that there is so much joy to be had as a South African learning more about our local languages and our diversity. This rendition of Silent Night is a collaboration between well-known artists and the Mzansi Youth Choir. It uses six of South Africa’s official languages and showcases our talent as a country when we unite.

Happy Holidays South Africa and congratulations Zozibini Tunzi!