A 26-YEAR-OLD Zimbabwean model based in Melbourne, Australia, Kimberly Gundani, put up an impressive show at the Miss Grand International finals which were recently held in Yangoon, Myanmar.
BY CRISFORD CHOGUGUDZA
The law student raised Zimbabwe’s flag high when she finished in the top 20 at the pageant held last month and saw models from 75 countries battling for the title.
Although the top gong went to María Clara Sosa Perdomoa, a Paraguayan model, being crowned Miss Grand Australia and becoming the first African-Australian to represent Australia on an international platform was Gundani’s most memorable moment.
This was another feather in Gundani’s cap after she emerged in the top six at the Miss Tourism Australia pageant in 2017.
Gundani said the passion to make an impact in people’s lives was her greatest motivation.
“The love for people and the desire to make a difference in people’s lives motivated me to join beauty pageantry,” she said.
“If I can make a difference to at least one child whose parents are deceased, I will be content.”
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The beauty queen, who is an ambassador for Australia’s Ballarat African Association which works towards changing the negative stereotypes associated with being black and young, said she believed modelling was not just about beauty, but inspiring others and working for a charitable cause.
She said she was an ardent supporter of the Queen Elizabeth Children’s Home in Bulawayo.
Gundani was a state finalist for Miss World Australia in 2018 before winning the Miss Grand Australia in June 2018.
She was born in Zimbabwe and moved to England as a young girl with her mother, Gamuchirai Goronga, whom she described as her greatest inspiration who taught her the importance of “love, sacrifice and determination”. They later relocated to Australia.
Gundani, who is currently enrolled for a Master of Law Juris Doctor programme at Monash University in Melbourne, said she was also inspired by Grace Kelly, Michelle Obama and Meghan Markle.
She urged young people to write their own stories and control their destinies while making a positive impact in society.
