Nkombezi comes 4th at Miss African Essence

Miss Malawi second runner-up Tina Nkombezi has finished as 4th at the Miss African Essence International pageant in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where she also earned the Best Advocate sash in recognition of her impact beyond the runway. Nkombezi emerged fourth out of 12 contestants representing 12 countries, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, in a hotly contested Miss African Essence finale. The crown went to a contestant from Kenya, with Ethiopia placing first runner-up, Namibia second runner-up, Malawi third runner-up and the Democratic Republic of Congo finishing fourth runner-up.

In an interview, Nkombezi expressed gratitude for the experience and the recognition she received, particularly the Best Advocate accolade. “I’m grateful for the opportunity. The award means a lot because it recognises the difference I am trying to make, something many contestants equally deserved,” she said.

Nkombezi said representing the country at the pageant helped her appreciate the importance of using such spaces to market Malawi, which she said is something that the country should leverage on. The queen also said the outdoor setup disrupted proceedings. “The outdoor event was affected by rain, which forced organisers to rush the programme and skip the final question-and-answer segment, which is a crucial part of determining the winner,” she said.

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Miss Malawi Organisation spokesperson Stephen Mdala said the organisation is proud of Nkombezi’s performance and that her achievement is a strong debut for Malawi on the international stage. He said despite facing stiff competition at the continental pageant, Nkombezi secured a top-four position, which he said is encouraging. “There were powerhouses at the competition, but she still emerged among the top four and we are proud of her.

It shows we have the potential to compete at that level,” he said. Mdala added that the experience was also a learning curve for the organisation. “For us, this was also a trial to gauge our ability to participate at this level and it has given us confidence moving forward,” he said.

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