The last time Zozibini Tunzi was featured in SMag was on the eve of her Miss Universe win in December 2019, when she changed attitudes toward beauty. “I was doe-eyed, fresh, new in the industry,” she recounts.
While she’s become a siren-eyed, seasoned icon, her narrative about transforming beauty standards has stayed the same. Tunzi remains a future-facing game-changer, moving the needle toward making the beauty industry more inclusive, driving innovation, and pioneering authentic representation. Whether being Miss Universe, collaborating with Nivea Micellar Water or acting in Bad Influencer, she has always championed natural beauty, cultural heritage, and self-acceptance.
“I love where beauty is right now,” she says. “I feel like it is so much easier. Even in terms of makeup and trends, we are talking about a more natural, easier glow. I love Nivea, especially the product we are working on together, Nivea Micellar Water. I love that it’s effortless and you get that natural glow. Natural is something that I’ve always been. I appreciate that it has moved with the times and we’re now more about skincare and making sure that what is inside is reflected on the outside.”
Tunzi is making her debut as a presenter on the newly revamped Top Billing — yet another example of how her post-Miss Universe trajectory makes for a phenomenal entertainment career that goes far beyond the traditional definition of “beauty queen”.
“I’ve always loved the arts, media, and entertainment. I’ve always known that’s where I was going, regardless of what happened in life, whether it was going to be through Miss SA, Miss Universe, or Top Billing. I’m an artist, I want to perform, and 2026 is the year of art for me,” Tunzi says.
Tunzi’s addition to Top Billing, which has been off air for six years, is a dream come true. She notes that it has been almost 10 years since she first auditioned for the Presenters Search competition.
“I auditioned and made it into the top 10. It’s a full-circle moment to be able to come back and check off this other thing that I’ve wanted to do,” she affirms.
“It’s always about storytelling. It’s important to preserve culture, African culture, and tell it in such an elegant and beautiful way. To show Africans, Black people in a beautiful light is very important to me. That’s how I first saw them on Top Billing, [appreciating] being able to see us achieve and do things. It’s such an aspirational show [and] such an important part of South African pop culture.”
Her first day on set was nothing short of magical, with her sharing the screen with businesswoman and producer Basetsana Kumalo, a former Miss Soweto, Miss SA 1994, and Miss World first runner-up.
“It was such a beautiful experience. So I shot my first with Auntie B, Sis Bassie. We call her Auntie B. She’s like, ‘Yeah, I’m Auntie B. Not Basatsana,’” Tunzi says. “That was pretty special.
“Again, [she’s] one of the people whom I grew up looking up to. She was a Miss South Africa. She went on to do Miss World, and came back and built this empire. I always tell people that Miss South Africa or Miss Universe is the beginning of the rest of your life. It’s what you do with the platform after that that makes it special.”
Away from the camera, Tunzi celebrated her first wedding anniversary with husband Luthando Bolowana in March.
“I thought marriage would be magical and beautiful — and it has been exactly that,” she says.
“We’re still in our honeymoon phase. I’ve been with him for a very long time, so this feels like a continuation of our lives. Not much has changed except that we’re married now. The biggest change, I guess, is being comfortable in knowing that this is my person for life. This is my life partner. I have someone next to me I can go through joys and troubles with … there’s something so comfortable when he’s there. I don’t have to worry about things at all. All I have to do is exist.”
So, what advice does she have for single people?
“I would say that, when you are picking that someone, you want to make sure that it’s a good someone, a kind someone, because life can get a little crazy,” Tunzi advises.
“Somebody who balances you out, and also, love is not enough, hey? No, because here’s the thing: you might love someone, but you guys are very different people, and then, because you’re different people, it might be difficult to put your lives together. You have to [complement each other and] have the same values and morals.”
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