CROWNING MISS SA, SHUDUFHADZO MUSIDA
The Insider SA gets to know the Top 10 finalists for Miss SA, but only one could take the crown home. Meet Shudufhadzo Musida, the inspiring 24-year-old from Limpopo who won SA’s hearts and the title of Miss South Africa 2020.
This year, Miss SA had to run a bit differently. But what remained the same was the glitz, the glam, and the incredible South African women who intend to make a positive change in their beloved country.
2020’s Top 10 finalists were in a league of their own. All had great passion, fierce confidence, and unstoppable dreams. These were the exact qualities this year’s judges were looking for in their next Miss South Africa.
Actress, producer and businesswoman, Leslie Durant, shares how she’ll be judging the finalists, saying, “Miss SA needs to have a story of her own, she needs to have an energy and a gravitas that when she walks into a room, people notice her, but at the same time, makes everyone feel like they’re important”. For Leslie, Miss South Africa is a woman who will lead with four qualities: passion, integrity, courage, and a strong mind.
Award-winning actress and Miss SA judge, Kim Engelbrecht was on the lookout for a woman with initiative. Kim explains, “Mainly I need somebody that’s going to grab this opportunity with both hands and just run with it – take every opportunity that comes their way and turn it into gold.”
The Insider SA chatted with the Final 3 Contestants as the excitement built up to the big night. While 2nd Runner-Up, Natasha Joubert stood out for her tom-boyish difference and 1st Runner-Up, Thato Mosehle remarks on how much she’s learnt from the other incredible women, it was Limpopo’s Shudufhadzo Musida who took the crown home as Miss South Africa 2020.
The exact moment Shudufhadzo was named Miss South Africa, she was left in total shock. “I remember looking at Thato just before they announced it and I made peace with the fact that I’m happy with it being any one of us. But hearing my name being called, I thought, “Wait, what?!”. When I saw my mother it finally hit me and I knew that this was real – I am the new Miss South Africa 2020”.
Shudufhadzo’s main reason for entering Miss South Africa was to implement real change at the roots of our country: “What I stand for is education and economic empowerment of women and children. In addressing that, we need to fix the mind – the powerhouse. Mental health is a conversation that is often considered a taboo, and is often engaged with to shame rather than to rehabilitate. I think it’s time for that to change in order to fix our society and so many of our social ills”.
With role models such as Michelle Obama and Miss Universe, Zozibini Tunzi, Shudufhadzo’s foundation is set for a successful and prominent reign.
“Michelle Obama is such a beautiful, strong woman that is a beacon of hope for many black women, especially young girls, around the world. I look to her and I realise that anything is possible and that us, as black women – like Zozi said – can take up space and cement ourselves in societies.”
Zozi tweeted her support her Miss SA sister wishing Shudufhadzo nothing but blessings for her 2020 reign.
Miss South Africa 2019, Sasha-Lee Olivier, shares some words of wisdom to her successor, saying “My advice is to stay true to who you are”.
With her crown tilted upwards and her feet firmly planted on the ground, Shudufhadzo ends with this note: “South Africa, thank you so much for trusting me to be an ambassador. Thank you so much for loving me and accepting me to be one of your Miss South Africas. I stand on the shoulders of many who came before me and I stand here as a representation of the beauty, resilience, and diversity that exists in this country. Ro livhuwa”.
