Twenty-six-year-old Thandie Chisi on Saturday night claimed the Miss Malawi 2025 crown during a grand finale held at at Pearl Convention Centre in Lilongwe.
She saw off 12 other finalists from an initial pool of 30 contestants who started the journey months ago.
Ireen Navicha and Tina Mkombezi are the first and second runners-up, respectively.
The contestants competed in three key categories of cultural and traditional costume, swimwear and night gowns or dinner wear from which 10 were eliminated at different stages.
Speaking after getting the crown, Chisi described the moment as the fulfilment of a lifelong dream.
“I’m feeling all sorts of things, but for most of the part I’m very excited. This has been a childhood dream and I’m happy it came true tonight. I’m grateful for everyone who supported me,” she said.
Chisi said the public should expect that her reign will be purpose-driven and that she is aiming for impact beyond the crown.
“I have personal projects where I’m working with young people, girls and women on economic empowerment and leadership. This will help me amplify those projects and those under Miss Malawi Organisation,” she said, adding that she will work with runners-up and other contestants to drive collective impact.
Second runner-up Tina Mkombezi said she was excited to finish in the top three and pledged to continue championing youth employment.
“It does not make sense that there is 53 percent youth unemployment. I want to work with different stakeholders to tackle these issues,” she said.
The judging panel comprised model and reality star Luis Munana from Namibia, former Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane, Prophetess Mary Bushiri and Amaryllis Hospitality general manager Ramy Waheed.
After the event, one of the judges Luis Munana said the panel focused on identifying a contestant who could represent Malawi beyond the national stage.
“Our job as judges was to crown the rightful winner and I think we did pretty well because we didn’t even get a chance to discuss it among ourselves. Each judge scored independently and handed over the judging sheets to the auditors and the fact that we all agreed on the winner shows the fairness of the competition,” he said.
Munana said the judging went beyond beauty, as the panel looked at presence, personality, confidence and the ability to think on one’s feet, qualities he said he believes Chisi possesses to compete effectively on the international stage and showcase Malawi to the world.
Miss Malawi Organisation public relations officer Stephen Mdala said the crowning of Miss Malawi 2025 marks a new and stable chapter for the brand as organisers focused on restoring public confidence.
“Miss Malawi is back. The public can finally believe in the brand again because it is here to stay. We will work with the Miss Malawi office and partners to ensure this platform is sustained until next year and beyond,” he said.
Mdala said the establishment of the Miss Malawi Foundation will play a key role in supporting the title holder’s projects and positioning the pageant as an international brand through collaboration with local and international partners.
Chisi walks away with a K50 million prize package, with K30 million going directly to her, K10 million allocated for personal expenses including a one-year fully paid apartment in Area 43 and K10 million set aside for the newly established Miss Malawi Foundation.
The event was spiced up by music performances by Eli Njuchi, Tay Grin and a dance performance by Salaam Africa.
