Restoring the crown…Sakhile Dube breaks Zimbabwe pageants’ curse

Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter

OVER the past week, a wave of optimism and excitement swept the social media timelines of Zimbabweans as the finals of the Miss Universe pageant in Mexico drew closer.

Optimism is a rare thing on social media, more so among Zimbabweans, who usually find themselves at each other’s throats for even the most trivial of matters.

This past week, however, things were a bit different. The re-election of Donald Trump as the American president was relegated to a forgotten battleground as Zimbabweans had their eyes on a new prize.

Donald Trump

The excitement and optimism were not because the Zimbabwean Warriors, so often a source of heartache, were on the brink of qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations, which they eventually did on Friday evening.

Instead, it was due to developments in Mexico, where Sakhile Dube was steadily proving her worth as Zimbabwe’s representative in the Miss Universe competition.

Every picture of hers posted was met with an avalanche of likes and reposts, as Zimbabweans, for the first time in a while, fully embraced a beauty queen.

Seemingly out of the blue, Dube has become her country’s darling, with even neighbours like South Africa, whose representative pulled out this week because of health concerns, adopting her as one of their own.

While it had been obvious that she had captured Zimbabweans’ attention, when Dube debuted her dress, the Soaring Eagle, she sealed her place in their hearts.

The elaborate design of that dress showed the ingenuity behind her entire campaign, as she sought to illustrate her country’s history, its aspirations and its values in colourful fabric.

“It is a story of Zimbabwe’s proud identity, its natural wonders, and its deep cultural roots,” she said of the head-turning costume.

“The eagle, is a symbol of grace, strength, and vision, represents the majesty of Zimbabwe in this costume.

“These ancient stone ruins, whose name means ‘house of stone’” once served as the seat of a powerful kingdom, representing the height of Zimbabwean civilisation in centuries past,” she said.

“The rock pattern on the dress symbolises strength, resilience, and the deep roots of the nation. Just as these towering stone walls have withstood the test of time, Zimbabwe’s cultural identity remains unshaken, a testament to its people’s enduring spirit.”

It was an audacious outfit, an eye-catching specimen that looked like it belonged in a museum instead of a pageant.

For Dube, a daring 27-year-old who does not seem daunted by anything, it was all par for the course.

Her entire campaign has been marked by the kind of bravery possessed by one who is fully aware that she is not only battling beauties from around the world but history as well.

The country’s premier pageants have not covered themselves in glory over the past decade, which has led to apathy towards beauty queens that represent the country recently.

Scandal after scandal saw an institution that was once adored turn into a laughing stock and a source of great embarrassment for the country.
The scandals that have rocked the nation’s premier pageants have been damning.

In 2014, Miss Zimbabwe winner Thabiso Phiri was stripped of her title after nude pictures of her emerged on social media platforms. Her downfall came less than a month after she had attained the crown. At around the same time, nude and semi-nude pictures of Malaika Mashandu, who had been the crown’s youngest-ever holder in 2011, also emerged.

The following year, Emily Kachote was also stripped of her title when nude pictures emerged yet again.

With all that history behind her, one could have expected Dube to falter. A crown that seems to have attracted scandal and drama in such frequent measure, is very heavy.

However, so far in her reign, Dube has conducted herself with admirable poise and class, restoring a country’s faith in a title that has seemed cursed.

Miss Universe Zimbabwe is once again back as the country’s pride and all of this is down to Dube, a girl who has never stopped believing even with the odds stacked against her.

A child from a polygamous family of seven, Dube was orphaned at an early age.

From those humble beginnings, she pulled herself up by the bootstraps, going on to do a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the Women’s University.

In 2018, Dube was crowned the face of the Zimbabwe Fashion Week while in 2020, she won the Miss Tourism Zimbabwe pageant.

She later won the Miss Earth Zimbabwe contest, before going on to make history as she attained the country’s highest placement for Miss Earth by finishing in the top eight as well as winning various awards including Silver (second) in Best in Swimsuit and Best in Talent.

Last year she scooped the Miss Supranational crown, solidifying her reputation as one of the country’s most successful models.

After all her trials and tribulations, the former Sizane High School student has now proven that it is possible to rehabilitate the country’s beauty pageants when worthy and honourable queens are given the crown.