As the country continues to celebrate women this August, former Miss South Africa and Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi aims to lend a hand to thousands of women and children suffering from mental health.
This after the gruesome death of her celebrity friend Cheslie Kryst, as well as her experience as a victim of cyberbullying.
In an extensive interview with Sunday World this week, at her fancy penthouse in @Sandton Apartments, where she has been staying since March this year, Tunzi said the death of her American model friend Kryst is one of the reasons she wants her foundation, Zozibini Tunzi Foundation, to focus on educating women and children about mental health.
Taking a position on her silver-grey velvet couch with a glass of virgin cocktail in hand, the ever-elegant Zozi, as she is affectionately called, could not hide the sadness on her face.
Kryst died by suicide in January after she threw herself off a 60-storey building in New York in the US.
Kryst’s passing followed rapper AKA’s fiancé Anele Tembe who fell to her death when she threw herself off the 10th floor of Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town in 2021. 
This while many South Africans were still trying to come to terms with the death of house music vocalist Nichume Siwundla, who fell to her death at Greenstone Ridge in 2019.
“Even though my foundation is still at its base level, I want to address issues that are facing women, children and education, but incorporate it with educating people about mental health issues through workshops,” said Tunzi.
“It is important that people speak about mental health struggles and making sure that everyone is strengthened as they go through life.
“Having been on the Miss Universe platform opened many opportunities and has given me the resources. I know many incredible people who are more knowledgeable on mental health matters to help me bring this initiative to life.
“If it means I need to consult Shudufhadzo Musida [Miss South Africa 2020], I will, because we need each other.”
Sharing her fair share of cyberbullying, Tunzi said she related with what Miss SA 1993 Jacqui Mofokeng went through.
“Even though I was born the same year that Jacqui was crowned, I read up on her and I can boldly say I have had my fair share of criticism and rejection through cyberbullying,” said Tunzi.
“There was an account that was created to bully me online, I was called a monkey, but I had to remember why I started on my pageantry journey, and I continued.”
Despite her busy schedule, Tunzi said she still finds a way to spend time with her family and is thankful to be in the same country as them. “Everyone knows that I am my father’s daughter, my mother is my friend, and my siblings are my best friends.”
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