Vimbai Mutinhiri (born 18 February 1987) is a

Zimbabwean Demographic features of the population of Zimbabwe include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Population The population of Zimbabwe ...

actress, model and television personality. She was born in

Harare Harare ( ), formerly Salisbury, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of , a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metrop ...

, Zimbabwe and raised in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

, Serbia and in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

, South Africa. Before participating in ''Big Brother Africa Amplified'' in 2011, she studied in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

graduating from the University of Cape Town with an honours degree in politics, philosophy and economics.

Background

Vimbai is the youngest of four children of

Ambrose Mutinhiri Ambrose Mutinhiri (born 22 February 1944) is a Zimbabwean politician, formally served as the Minister of Youth Development and Employment Creation. A retired army commander and brigadier, he was appointed as Minister of Youth Development, Gender a ...

and Tracy Mutinhiri, both of whom are Zimbabwean cabinet ministers. She attended at

St Edward's School, Oxford St Edward's School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school) in Oxford, England. It is known informally as 'Teddies'. Approximately sixty pupils live in each of its thirteen houses. The school is a member of the Rug ...

and

Arundel School Arundel School is a private, day and boarding school for girls aged 12–18 in Harare, Zimbabwe. Arundel School was ranked 48th out of the top 100 best high schools in Africa, based upon quality of education, student engagement, strength and a ...

in Harare, graduating in 2000 and 2002 respectively. She then studied Social Sciences at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...

, graduating in 2008 with a bachelor's degree.

Career

Vimbai started her career at the age of 15 years as an actress in Zimbabwe, in a short film titled ''Who's In Charge'', which featured at the Zimbabwe International Film Festival. She had a lead role in Zimbabwe's first

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

titled ''Studio 263''. While studying at the University of Cape Town, she continued modelling. In 2011, Vimbai took part in ''Big Brother Africa'' season 6 (Amplified). She hosted various major African events, including the first

Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards The ''Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards'' (AMVCA) are a set of accolades presented by MultiChoice recognizing outstanding achievement in television and film across Africa,, through an annual ceremony hosted in the Exhibition Center of the Eko H ...

broadcast live to 54 countries from Lagos, Nigeria. She served as the Face of Castle Milk Stout (Cameroon) and has also walked the runway at SA Fashion Week and Zimbabwe Fashion Week.

''Big Brother Amplified''

Vimbai was the 16th housemate to be evicted, on Day 84.

''Star Gist''

After ''Big Brother'', she was chosen as the new presenter for the entertainment and lifestyle show ''Star Gist'' on Africa Magic Entertainment. Vimbai co-hosts the show, which is broadcast across Africa, with 22-year-old South African, Lawrence Maleka.

Personal life

In May 2020, during the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic, Vimbai married Andrew Ekpenyong in

Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari, Cali and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language, as the Efik people dominate this area. The city is adjac ...

, Nigeria.

References

External links

Official profile on Big Brother website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutinhiri, Vimbai 1987 births Living people Big Brother (franchise) contestants People educated at St Edward's School, Oxford Alumni of Arundel School University of Cape Town alumni