In a night filled with glamour and controversy, 27-year-old Sakhile Dube was crowned Miss Universe Zimbabwe 2024, beating 17 other contestants to take home the coveted title.
She succeeds Brooke Bruk Jackson who was the reigning queen.
The event, held at the Hippodrome in the capital, saw Lisa Sibanda emerge as the First Princess, while Ruvimbo Njomboro walked away with the Second Princess title.
Her winning package includes a Mercedes Benz C200 2020 model, courtesy of Style by Minnie, and a cash prize of US$10,000, which she will share with her princesses.
Sakhile Dube, the Bulawayo-bred model, has had a successful run in the pageant world, having previously won Miss Tourism Zimbabwe 2020, Miss Earth Zimbabwe 2022, Miss Supranational Africa, and Supra Top Model in 2023.
However, the credibility of the winner was questionable due to the absence of an auditing firm to certify the results.
The judges, including Former First Lady Grace Mugabe, Miss South Africa 2022 Ndavi Nokeri, Hilda Mabu, Kevin “The Wedding Planner”, Taku Mhlanga, and Brita Masalethulini, were seen engaged in fierce debates before announcing the winner.
This raised eyebrows, as it is typically the job of an auditor to tally the scorecards, not the judges.
Furthermore, the winner failed to deliver confidently during the question and answer segment, alongside the other top two contestants, sparking concerns from the audience both in the auditorium and watching online.
For the overall production of the show, the organisers would benefit from employing a producer to ensure the event runs smoothly, avoiding the delays and gaps witnessed during the pageant.
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