Africa Miss Universe beauty queens in limbo as US visa restrictions bite

What the report says

Several African Miss Universe contestants are at risk of missing the 75th Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico because of difficulty obtaining US visas, according to BBC Africa. Among them is Miss Universe Zimbabwe Roseanna Hall, who says she has been trying to secure approval while in South Africa and has not yet received the document needed to travel to the US territory.

The situation has already forced Zambia to withdraw its representative, Pamela Mubanga, from the competition. Zambia’s pageant organisers said her case was tied to US travel restrictions affecting the country, rather than a personal or paperwork issue. BBC Africa also reported that contestants from South Sudan and several other African countries are facing similar uncertainty, though those countries were not all named.

The pageant began its pre-final activities in Puerto Rico on 8 November, increasing pressure on contestants still waiting for visas. Zimbabwe is among 19 countries covered by partial US travel restrictions introduced under Presidential Proclamation 10998, which affects several visa categories. In general, such restrictions can complicate travel for international events even when competitors have already been selected and prepared for the contest.

The Miss Universe final is scheduled for 24 November in San Juan. The visa problems matter because they could keep national representatives from competing on the world stage, despite having won domestic pageant titles and completed their preparations.