Organisers of the Miss Universe Zimbabwe 2024 on Saturday revealed the final list of participants expected to take part in the pageant, as the show draws nearer.
A bevy of 20 beauties was trimmed from the initial list of 32 after fans voted, with subsequent interviews being carried by the organisers of the pageant.
The pageant will be held on May 18 at Harare's Hippodrome Auditorium.
The 20 are Amanda Peresu (Bulawayo), Lompopoma Khumalo (Bulawayo), Sakhile Dube (Bulawayo), Stacey Hall (Bulawayo), Wendy Ndlovu (Bulawayo), Victoria Shoko (Bulawayo), Nozinhle Gumede (Bulawayo), Monalisa Kandava (Chinhoyi), Lisa Sibanda (Chitungwiza), Shelly Uzogba (Gweru), Pauline Marere (Masvingo), Natasha Njomboro (Harare), Hannah Brits (Harare), Letwin Chinomona (Harare), Melissa Vanham (Harare), Alisa Adams (Harare), Shelly Bent (Harare), Jessie Marisa (Harare), Tanyaradzwa Muparutsa (Harare) and Samantha Chikwanda (Mutare).
The finalists will go for a boot camp to prepare to strut their stuff on the ramp on May 18, where one of them will be crowned Miss Universe Zimbabwe 2024.
The winner will walk away with a car and cash prize. She will represent the country at the Miss Universe pageant scheduled for September 28 in Mexico.
In an interview, the pageant licence holder and national director, Tendai Hunda, said selecting the 20 finalists was a mammoth task as all the 32 girls were good in terms of talent and presentation. She said a team of judges selected the 20 with the help of the organising team.
"This year we managed to get, high-quality girls, who include those already beauty queens in their own right, title holders and commercial models," she said.
"Our team had a tough time selecting the best 20, as all the 32 who had qualified put up a scintillating act. They did their interviews and project presentation, which was amazing. However, we wanted 20 girls who will then vie for the coveted title come May 18."
Hunda, a former model, said they wanted 18 finalists but because of fan votes, they ended up having 20.
"We had fans voting for their favourite contestants to be on the finalists and there were two girls who had the highest marks, Pauline Marere and Wendy Ndlovu."
"They then automatically qualified to be in the running. Again, during the selection process, the "Voice for Change" challenge was the toughest one and we are happy the girls managed to sail through," she said.
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She said that on May 11 they are conducting the official photo shoot with the girls. Preliminary judging will be done six days before the final event.
Asked about any international guests coming to grace the event, Hunda said they have sent some invites to some regional celebrities and established models.
"I will furnish you with details but we have a lot of surprises. This year is bigger and better, as we also have roped in some of the special taskforce team to push the brand of Miss Universe Zimbabwe," she said.
Last year's winner was Brooke Bruk Jackson, who represented the country at the 72nd Miss Universe pageant in El Salvador and finished in the top 10 Miss Universe 2023 Voice for Change Silver Finalists.
The Voice for Change Silver Finalist was about representing a global shifting tapestry of voices committed to making a difference.
She was selected together with Angola, Brazil, Chile, Lebanon, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Africa and Ukraine.
The finalists captured the audience's attention and demonstrated a passion for positive change through their impactful advocacy videos. The competition went beyond traditional beauty pageant norms, allowing viewers to play an active role in shaping the outcome.
Miss Universe Philippines won the Voice for Change competition.
