[imagesource: Miss South Africa/ Twitter]

In August last year, Zozibini Tunzi, who is originally from the Eastern Cape but now lives in Cape Town, walked away with the title of Miss South Africa, as well as R3 million in prize money and sponsorship deals.

Then, in December, she beat out the international competition to become the first Miss Universe to wear the brand-new “Power of Unity” crown.

Sasha-Lee Laurel Olivier took over as Miss SA, but as of Saturday, her reign is officially over.

Taking her place is Shudufhadzo Musida, who will be going home with the crown and a package of prizes and sponsorships worth more than R3 million.

She says she was inspired to enter the competition after watching Tunzi in last year’s pageant.

Watch the moment she was crowned before we head on over to the Miss South Africa website for more on Musida.

Here’s who she is and what she stands for, in her own words.

Education and career

I have a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Pretoria. I am currently pursuing a BA Honours in International Relations at the University of Witwatersrand.

Musida has also worked as a model – a career that she started when she was 17. She has been part of campaigns for Woolworths and skincare range Eucerin. She also featured in Vogue Italia back in 2018.

Role Models

My role models include Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, Toni Morrison, Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Gcuka and Amina J. Mohammed. They are such strong women with so much grace. They inspire me to be better versions of myself.

Hobbies

Studying consumes all of my time but when I can, I sing, practice the keyboard and read.

She’s currently reading Live the Let-Go Life by Joseph Prince. Her favourite musician is Usher and she enjoys disco, and gospel in the mornings.

Other favourite things include sushi, caramel cupcakes, and Trevor Noah.

She has a crush on him, according to one of the pressing questions asked on the website.

When asked why she wanted to become Miss South Africa, here’s what she said:

I am passionate about the economic and educational empowerment of women and children. This passion is deeply rooted in the fact that I grew up in a village where people have five career choices – doctor, nurse, police officer, teacher or working in a store.

There is nothing wrong with these careers but there is such a wider range to choose from. I believe that this platform could highlight that through its vision of female empowerment and breaking boundaries. I would also ensure that my social causes are carried out.

According to CapeTalk, Musida is an advocate for mental health awareness and believes that her platform will aid her social activism efforts.

A last word on the pandemic and how she handled lockdown:

I have taken the time to prioritise my mental health and myself. It’s been difficult but you learn to be kind to yourself and remember that these are unusual circumstances and it’s okay not to be okay sometimes. But I have been blessed to find peace in this tough time.

Check out her post-win interview at the 45-second mark:

Congrats on your win.

Now, let’s see if we can take home the Miss Universe crown for the second year in a row.

[source:misssa&capetalk]