Bushiri’s Goshen City reveals contractual disputes with Thandi Chisi

…Says issues should have been resolved privately

…First public admission of tensions between reigning Miss Malawi and organisers

The Miss Malawi controversy took another unexpected turn on Friday after Prophet Shepherd Bushiri’s Goshen City disclosed for the first time that reigning Miss Malawi Thandi Chisi is involved in contractual disputes with the Miss Malawi Organisation.

The revelation, contained in a statement by Bushiri’s spokesperson Aubrey Kusakala, is the first public acknowledgement that relations between Chisi and the organisers were already strained before the dispute over Malawi’s representative at Miss World exploded into public view.

According to Kusakala, the disagreements were known internally but claims to have played out in the public eye.

“There have been communication and contractual challenges between Thandie and the [Miss Malawi] Secretariat, issues that should ideally have been resolved professionally and privately,” Kusakala said.

The statement, however, does not explain the nature of the alleged contractual challenges, when they arose, or whether they influenced the subsequent decision to snub Thandi Chisi for the Miss World. The disclosure raises fresh questions about the relationship between the reigning Miss Malawi and the pageant organisers, particularly as previous public statements had focused almost exclusively on age and eligibility requirements.

Until now, the Miss Malawi Organisation had publicly attributed Chisi’s exclusion from Miss World first to her age, then to her lack of international pageant experience, before later returning to the age explanation. However, the 27-year-old remains eligible under Miss World’s published rules, as she will still be 27 when the Miss World final is held on 5 September this year. The Miss World Organisation has already confirmed several other 27-year-old contestants for this year’s competition.

The contractual and communication issues had never previously been mentioned. Kusakala’s statement also defended the Miss Malawi Secretariat’s decision, saying it was in line with Board Chairperson Mary Bushiri’s vision of expanding international opportunities beyond the overall winner to include runners-up and other deserving finalists.

He said Board Chairperson Prophetess Mary Bushiri announced during the Miss Malawi grand finale that international pageants would not automatically be reserved for the titleholder alone.

“This decision [of snubbing Thandi Chisi for Ireen Navicha] was also in line with the Board’s new approach to creating opportunities for all finalists. During the Miss Malawi grand finale, the Board Chairperson, Prophetess Mary Bushiri, stated that international opportunities would not be limited to the winner alone, but would also be made available to the first and second runners-up, as well as other finalists. She made it clear that if one titleholder was unable to take up an opportunity, another deserving contestant should be given the chance to represent Malawi”

According to the statement, if one titleholder was unable to take up an international opportunity, another deserving finalist would be given the chance to represent Malawi. Despite supporting that policy, Goshen City distanced itself from the decision to overlook Chisi for Miss World.

“It is important to clarify that Goshen City is the principal sponsor of Miss Malawi, not its administrator. Decisions regarding contestants and international representation are made by the Miss Malawi Secretariat and Board.” The statement added that it was unfair to blame Goshen City, Prophet Shepherd Bushiri or Prophetess Mary Bushiri for administrative decisions they did not directly control.

Ireen Navicha, the First Princess, is the daughter of Malawi’s Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Mary Navicha.

Miss World drama refuses to die
…Miss Malawi Organisers change tune again as Thandi Chisi row deepens
…organisation 'blames' Miss World communication

The Miss Malawi Organisation has changed its explanation for overlooking reigning Miss Malawi Thandi Chisi for Miss World for… pic.twitter.com/xRHML3WlOr

— Malawi24 (@Malawi24) July 24, 2026