Miss South Africa wins Miss Universe competition

by

Miss South Africa has won the Miss Universe competition.

Zozibini Tunzi took the crown on Sunday (8 December 2019) in Atlanta at the end of a telecast hosted once again by Steve Harvey.

She is the third South African to be crowned Miss Universe. Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters won in 2017 and Margaret Gardiner was crowned before her in 1978.

Twenty-six-year-old Tunzi is from Tsolo, South Africa. She is passionate about encouraging natural beauty and crusades against gender bias.

Miss Puerto Rico Madison Anderson was this year's runner-up, with Miss Mexico Sofia Aragon in third.

Tunzi's crown is a new one. Jewellery designer Mouawad created a Power of Unity crown worth $5 million for the new Miss Universe.

The crown features 18-karat gold vines and ivy leaves inlaid with more than 1,770 diamonds. The ivy and vine are meant to represent the seven continents. It's flanked by two smaller diamonds cut from the same stone mined from Botswana.