Miss Universe: Zambia withdraws candidate over lack of US visa
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
Zambia withdrew its candidate Pamela Mubanga, a 25-year-old nurse crowned on 8 October, from the 75th Miss Universe pageant scheduled for 24 November in Puerto Rico. The pageant organisation attributed the withdrawal to travel restrictions imposed by the United States on Zambia and several other African countries, according to the BBC.
The Miss Universe Zambia organisation withdrew Pamela Mubanga, Zambia’s representative at the Miss Universe pageant, from the 75th edition scheduled to take place in Puerto Rico on 24 November, due to US travel restrictions targeting Zambian nationals. The organisation explained that the withdrawal of the 25-year-old nurse resulted from restrictions imposed by the US government and not from personal circumstances or administrative difficulties, according to the BBC as cited by Punch.
Pamela Mubanga was crowned Miss Universe Zambia on 8 October. The organisation said that five other African countries were facing similar difficulties, without identifying them. Zimbabwe’s representative, Roseanna Hall, is also facing uncertainty over her participation and said she had repeatedly tried to obtain her US visa. In a video posted on Instagram, she said she had spent several weeks in South Africa awaiting permission to travel.
Hall said she was due to leave for Puerto Rico on the day she spoke and added that other African contestants were facing the same problem. The South Sudan representative at Miss Universe also expressed uncertainty about her participation by reacting to Hall’s Instagram post, according to Punch.
The situation comes after Pamela Mubanga was selected on 8 October to represent Zambia at the international pageant. On 31 July, Praia had announced the ten finalists for Miss Universe Cabo Verde as part of preparations for the 2026 edition.
