HARARE-(MaraviPost)-While more than 100 contestants were checking in for the 75th Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico, Zimbabwe’s queen was still waiting in South Africa — grounded not by a missed flight, but by a US presidential order.
Roseanna Hall, 34, crowned Miss Universe Zimbabwe 2026, was due to fly out to San Juan on Sunday.
Instead, she spent the day recording an emotional video from South Africa, where she has spent the past week trying to unlock a visa that may never come.
The coronation is scheduled for 24 November at the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan. Registration, fittings and official activities began on November 8. Every day Hall remains in Johannesburg, her chances of competing narrow.
In her message to supporters, Hall did not hide her frustration.
She said she had been in South Africa for seven days, working through channels to secure clearance, only to be told that the hold-up was political, not personal.
The obstacle is US Presidential Proclamation 10998 — titled “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States” — which came into force on 1 January 2026.
The order instructed the US Department of State to fully or partially suspend visa issuance for nationals of 39 countries.
Zimbabwe falls in the second, partial-suspension group, alongside 18 others: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela and Zambia.
For Zimbabweans, the partial suspension hits three key categories:
- B-1/B-2 visitor visas, for business and tourism
- F, M and J visas, for students and exchange visitors
- All immigrant visas
Zimbabweans can still lodge applications and attend interviews, but under the new rules they can be found ineligible for issuance or admission.
The proclamation does not cancel visas that were already valid on the effective date — a protection Hall does not appear to benefit from.
Hall said her case is not isolated.
She pointed to Miss Universe Zambia, Mubanga Pamela Hatyoka, who has already withdrawn from this year’s contest over the same travel curbs, and said other African contestants were facing identical barriers.
“I am not alone in this predicament. Some of my African sisters are facing the same challenges. I know exactly what they are going through and truly empathise with them,” she said.
Behind the scenes, Hall said, a rescue effort is still running.
“The fight is not over. The Zimbabwean government, private individuals, key stakeholders and the Miss Universe Zimbabwe Organisation and board have been working tirelessly to help get this visa approved. I want to thank them for all their efforts so far,” she said.
She closed with an appeal to supporters not to give up on her — after months of preparation, training and fundraising.
“You have truly rallied behind me and supported me throughout this journey. For that, I am thankful from the bottom of my heart, which is why I keep pushing and fighting. Please keep the faith as the effort to get Zimbabwe to Puerto Rico continues. I am confident that God, who began a good work in me, will bring it to completion. After all the hard work and preparation over the past several months, I will not give up.”
For now, Zimbabwe’s place on the Miss Universe stage remains uncertain — not because its queen was unprepared, but because a visa policy in Washington is deciding who gets to walk it.
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