Not only is she the longest reigning Miss Universe ever, but she won the hearts of millions around the world.
From the minute we were introduced to her on the Miss SA stage, she has been a force to be reckoned with.
Everything she has ever worked towards before claiming the two biggest pageant titles, has now located her.
With all the doors of opportunity that came with the titles, Zozibini Tunzi has made sure that her name is not forgotten.
In fact, she has been intentional about kicking the doors open.
In between her rehearsals and wardrobe fittings for the South African Film and Television Awards which she’ll be hosting alongside Lawrence Maleka, she speaks to Drum about finally being in her happy and peaceful era.
“Growing up, I've always wanted to find myself in the space that I'm in. I never knew how I was going to get there, obviously, but I eventually managed to get there through Miss South Africa and Miss Universe. I have always liked the stage one way or another. And I just knew that that's where I was going to be.”
Since 2019, Zozi also added the presenter and actress titles to her growing CV.
Many of her supporters were thrilled to see her on The Woman King and even happier when she hosted this year's Miss SA Crown Chasers reality TV show.
“With acting, it's one of those things where I never really planned for it and I was asked to audition and when I auditioned and I found myself in that space, I really found that I loved it there and it's something that I would definitely do again in the future if opportunities present themselves.”
“With things like television, I've always wanted to try television. I mean, before Miss South Africa, I had auditioned for Presenter Search, for instance, on SABC 3. That was actually the same year that I entered for Miss South Africa. And so that has always been one of the dreams for me. And then you have things like music, where I've always wanted to sing and to be a musician as well, which is something that I haven't done yet,” she adds.
Grateful for everything, the now 30-year-old says she is not only happy but also healthy, physically and mentally.
“I've been spending a lot of time with loved ones, my friends, my family. I just came back from celebrating my 30th year with my people, which I feel like is the most important thing in my life.”
For her, turning 30 and officially stepping into the third floor of life marks a switch of things.
She shares that her 20s were dedicated to achieving as much as possible and trying out new things as much as possible.
However, her dirty thirties will be different.
“I'm there (on the third floor) to let life happen, work hard and to plan and whatever happens, happens. I don't want to think too much about things and to attach things to my happiness because in my twenties, if I'm being honest, I really cared a lot about what the world and people thought, what opinions they had about me, what opinions they had about my career, you know, that matters.
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“I've been in this entertainment industry for like four years now. The first two years, I cared a lot. And then maybe in my third, into my fourth year, I was letting go a little and not caring too much but now in my thirties, I hope I'm fully in letting the real things matter,” she tells Drum.
With the SAFTAs being the first live showshe’ll be hosting in the country, the former Miss SA can not hold back her excitement.
Of all the things she prides herself in though, the biggest is having never stopped dreaming and still doing the things that scare her. She also advises young girls to never stop dreaming because that’s how she got to be where she is.
“That is the perfect place - to be in a place of dreaming and a place of seeing yourself there. It's the most exciting part and that they should never lose that because that's where the spark starts, and it just projects you and leads you to where you're supposed to be.”
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Reminiscing back to her earlier years, she says, “When I was younger, I used to dream a lot. Back home in my small town and village, I had so much fire inside me and I knew exactly what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go.”
During her tertiary years at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), the dreaming turned into implementation.
“I would challenge myself to do something different that would lead me to where I want to be [at least once a year]. And so, I remember when I got to varsity, I asked myself what's the one thing that I want to do? Something that's just different to start setting a precedent for myself and my future,” says the TV presenter.
From this mindset, Zozibini channeled herself to audition for the MTV base VJ search, SABC3 presenter search and a Mzansi Magic drama series until she finally took the pageant route and entered Miss SA, twice.
To date, she still dreams and jumps at opportunities to see where they take her.
