In what was a spectacular event from the Mother City, Shudufhadzo Musida has been crowned as the brand-new Miss South Africa! Held at the Table Bay Hotel and hosted by the elegant Nomzamo Mbatha, Shudufhadzo Musida wowed judges Anele Mdoda, Leandie Durant, Miss Universe Zozi Tunzi, Kim Engelbrecht and Peggy-Sue Khumalo and deserrvingly clinched this year’s title, inheriting the crown from reigning queen Sasha-Lee Olivier
Thato Moselle placed second while Natasha Joubert came in third and all three ladies will go on to represent Mzansi internationally. Musida will compete at Miss Universe. Moselle and Joubert will either vie for the Miss World or Miss Supranational title, however we’ll only find out which beauty will be heading to which of these pageants at a later date.
As the winner of this year’s title, Shudu takes home prizes in excess of R3 million – including a whopping R1 million in cash. Thato and Natasha don’t go home empty handed taking home R250 000 and R100 000 respectively.
The 24-year-old comes from Ha-Masia in Limpopo and has a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Pretoria. She is currently doing her BA Honours in International Relations at the University of Witwatersrand.
In her Miss South Africa acceptance speech, Musida said: “It took an entire village to get me here and I would like to thank all of you for being my village. I stand here today as your Miss South Africa with immense pride and joy to be representing such a beautiful nation – one of the first Venda women, but certainly not the last – to become Miss South Africa. I stand here as an advocate for educational and economic empowerment of women and children and mental health awareness – honoured to be an ambassador of this beautiful nation.
“Through this platform, I plan to continue and build on the beautiful and powerful legacy left by former Miss South Africa title holders, and continue to carry the baton of woman empowerment that the Miss South Africa Organisation is built on and continues to strive for.
“I plan to bring more awareness to mental health, especially in rural and disadvantaged areas, because I truly believe that we need to work on the mind for any change to come about in this country. I plan to mobilise various stakeholders and the nation so we can bring about educational empowerment through the tackling of issues such as period poverty among young girls, workshops that teach children about the importance of mental health from a young age, and mentorship programmes for young women so they can be empowered to be agents of their own future.
“I will continue the fight against food insecurity in rural communities because children can only be their best at school when their basic needs are met. I believe that all of this will continue the efforts of bringing about economic empowerment in this country as more children will be given a fair chance at becoming active members of the economy through educational empowerment.
“This journey has been one of the highlights of my life – one that I will never forget and will cherish for as long as I live. Before this competition started, I had dreamed of helping women and children, and this platform has made that a reality even before the crown was placed on my head. This platform has not only empowered me, but it has caused a ripple effect that has empowered others too. It has empowered a nation of girls just like me, and shows that all dreams are valid irrespective of your background. My life has been changed forever and the lives of the generations that come after me, so for that – Ndo livhuwa.”
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