There is a scandal in Malawi over sending the daughter of a minister instead of the winner to Miss World.

A scandal erupted in Malawi over the fact that the daughter of a minister was sent to participate in the Miss World final instead of the winner of the national competition. Citizen Digital reports.

In December 2025, at the Miss Malawi competition, 26-year-old Thandi Chizi was recognized as the most beautiful girl in the country. However, it was decided to send second place winner Irin Navici, daughter of Minister Mary Navici, to the Miss World international competition.

This decision was explained by the fact that Cheesy allegedly did not meet the age requirements. However, fans of the beauty queen pointed out that according to the Miss World rules, participants must be between 17 and 27 years old. Cheezy would have been 27 years old at the time of the final. Representatives of Miss Malawi's main sponsor said Navici has more experience in international competitions. The organizers of Miss Malawi apologized for the “confusion with the ages” of the participants, but the minister’s daughter still went to the international competition.

In response to accusations of nepotism, Navica replied that “it is not the crown that makes a queen, but character.” Chizi said that the Miss Malawi organizers committed a fraud by retroactively excluding from the contract the clause requiring the winner to compete at Miss World. In the end, Navicha did not even make it into the top twenty beauties. The winner was 24-year-old Joherri Mola from the Dominican Republic.

Now the organizers of Miss Malawi are accused of sabotage, as they allegedly deliberately sent the daughter of a minister to Miss World without proper preparation.