Reigning Miss South Africa, Zozibini Tunzi has been crowned Miss Universe 2019. The Beauty queen’s crowning as the 68th Miss Universe took place on Sunday, 8 December 2019 at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

The show which lasted 3 hours was hosted by the famous comedian, Steve Harvey alongside former beauty queen and actress, Vanessa Lachey.

Ally Brooke from Fifth Harmony musical group thrilled the audience with her wonderful performances.

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Beautiful Tunzi was crowned by departing Miss Universe 2018, Catriona Gray as pageantry tradition demands. Tunzi is now the third South African to have been crowned Miss Universe. Others were Margaret Gardiner and Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters who were crowned in 1978 and 2017 respectively.

Her crowning also launched the brand-new “Power of Unity” crown which is said to be worth about R73 million. 

The newly-crowned queen has come out to thank South Africans for the support they gave her during the pageantry. While speaking after her victory, the 26-year who hails from Tsolo, Sidwadweni in East Cape said:

“Ah, I’m so ecstatic. I think everyone is still waking up by the way. They are going to wake up to a storm of news. I don’t think I have ever had as much support as I did coming into the Miss South Africa crown and so I think this will be something extra and very special for everyone back at home.”

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South Africans are awake and have reacted brilliantly to the news of Zozibini Tunzi being crowned Miss Universe 2019 on Twitter. See what some have said:

While one Twitter user who goes by the handle @Loisabels18 refers to the fact that Zozibini Tunzi was crowned by the immediate past Miss Universe from the Philippines who received her own crown from a former South African Miss Universe, another user tweeted “…Nothing could ever beat natural African beauty.”

The body of a man and his vehicle have been recovered from the Likoni channel, Kenya, following an accident where his car plunged into the ocean at 4:20 am local time on Saturday morning. Police and family members have identified the sole occupant of the vehicle as John Mutinda, 46.

According to a statement issued Bakari Gowa, the Managing Director of the Kenya Ferry Services (KFS), the driver attempted to avoid the toll station and drove into the loading area from the wrong side of the road. Attempts to were made by ferry staff to stop him but he proceeded to drive at top speed off the ramp and into the ocean.

Multi-agency rescue efforts by the Kenya Coast Guard, the Kenya Ferry Services, the Kenya Navy and the Police were launched immediately. The body of the deceased was subsequently recovered at 9:30 am on Saturday morning and transported to the Coast General Hospital Mortuary by police. Retrieval efforts continued thereafter, resulting in the retrieval of the vehicle from the channel at 12:00 pm.

The accident comes barely three months after a woman and child tragically drowned in a separate accident when their vehicle reversed while on a ferry and sank into the channel mid-transit.

Tropical cyclone Pawan has made landfall on Saturday morning, affecting the northeastern part of Somalia as predicted earlier in the week.

The storm hit the coastal city of Eyl in the Nugaal region, bringing with it heavy rainfall and turbulent winds. The town has borne the brunt of the storm, with locals reporting of fishermen’s boats capsizing off the coast and a cell tower belonging to Golis Telecom falling and causing damage to adjacent buildings.

A forecast issued by the Somali Water and Land Information Management (SWALIM) on Tuesday warned of heavy rainfall and strong winds over the north and central parts of the Horn of Africa country over the course of the next few days.

Elsewhere in Puntland state, the regional government delayed all flights leaving Garowe airport as a result of heavy rains and floods, by-products of the cyclone. There have also been local reports of 2 vehicles being swept away near Bossasso.

The storm is expected to decline in intensity as it moves inland.