By Dr Masimba Mavaza and Rtd Cptn Roy Mavaza
HARARE – The Miss Universe Zimbabwe final was meant to be a night of poise, ambition, and celebration of Zimbabwean womanhood. Instead, the stage was hijacked by remarks that belong in the past, by security lapses that endangered contestants, and by fairness questions that undermine the crown itself.
If we want pageantry to uplift our daughters, then we must say plainly: what happened last night was not acceptable. It was an insult to the contestants, to the girl child watching at home, to the fathers who raised these young women with dignity, and to the “mother of the country” — Zimbabwe herself.
1. “Women are objects meant to arouse men” – A statement with no place in 2026
Commentator Tichaona Matambanadzo, popularly known as Tich Mataz, told the live audience that women are “objects meant to arouse men”.
Let that sink in. On a national stage meant to showcase intelligence, leadership, and talent, a public voice reduced women to decoration for male gaze.
This is not “banter”. It is textbook sexism. It teaches every 10-year-old girl watching that her value is in how she arouses, not in how she thinks, leads, or serves. It tells every father who sacrificed school fees that his daughter’s dignity is negotiable. It spits on the mothers who built this nation with more than beauty — with sweat, wisdom, and courage.
Words matter. Platforms matter more. A Miss Universe stage is not a locker room. Sexist language that frames women as objects must be condemned without qualification. The organizers must distance themselves, and broadcasters must not normalize it. There is no “modern world” left for this kind of talk.
2. Sabuku Mliswa storms the stage with cash, security does nothing
In full view of cameras and the audience, businessman Sabuku Mliswa walked onto the stage and began showering contestants with money. No security intervened. No microphone was cut. No apology was issued on the night.
If a man can invade a live national broadcast, approach contestants uninvited, and throw cash at them while guards watch, then we must ask: what happens in private hotel rooms away from public view?
Pageants already struggle with perceptions of exploitation. When stage security is absent and contestants are accosted for spectacle, the message is dangerous: their bodies and space are up for grabs if you have money and clout. That is not empowerment. That is exposure without consent.
Organizers owe every contestant a public explanation: Why was security missing? What protocols now protect girls from “sponsors” who think money buys access? Without answers, parents will rightly keep their daughters away from future stages.
3. The crowned winner sat on last year’s judging panel – Where is the fairness?
The eventual winner was part of last year’s panel of judges. That fact alone creates a crisis of credibility.
How do other contestants compete fairly against someone who was, months earlier, deciding who wins? Even with good intentions, relationships, networks, and familiarity create an uneven playing field. Pageantry demands transparency because perception of bias kills trust faster than any scorecard.
If Miss Universe Zimbabwe wants to be respected, it must enforce a cooling-off period: no recent judge should compete for at least 3 years. Otherwise we are not crowning the “best woman” — we are crowning the best-connected one. That is unfair to every girl who trained, paid, and dreamed.
Protect the girl child, protect the crown
Pageants should not tear women down. They should build them up as leaders, entrepreneurs, and role models.
Last night we saw three failures:
1. Sexist commentary that reduced women to objects.
2. Security failure that allowed a man to invade contestants’ space.
3. A judging conflict that makes the results look rigged.
To the organizers of Miss Universe Zimbabwe: Apologize. Investigate. Publish new codes of conduct and security protocols. Ban sexist commentary from your stage. Bar recent judges from competing.
To the public: We must reject the idea that women exist to “arouse men”. That is an insult to every girl child who deserves to dream beyond her looks, to every father who teaches his daughter she is more than a body, and to Zimbabwe — the mother of us all — who deserves daughters raised in dignity, not displayed as objects.
Beauty without respect is not beauty. A crown without integrity is not a crown. Zimbabwe’s daughters deserve better. Last night, they did not get it. Next year, they must.
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