Mpule Keneilwe Kwelagobe of Lobatse, Botswana was crowned Miss Universe in May of 1999 in Trinidad and Tobago. She was the first woman ever to represent Botswana in the Miss Universe pageant, and not only the first from Africa to win the title but the first delegate that they sent from her country and won. Like Angela Visser, Statuesque Mpule participated in the Miss World pageant (in 1997) but did not place.

The Miss Universe 1999 pageant was marred by the rumor that Miss Guam, Tisha Heflin, was pregnant. Her subsequent withdrawal from the pageant and supposed pregnancy became the basis of the final question, which Mpule perfectly answered, causing many to believe that this was what snared her the coveted title.

A recipient of the Jonathan Mann Human Rights Award, she was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund in February 2000.

--Wikipedia