“Empowering the mind of a girl child using education as the tool will help to build a society of empowered women who will pay it forward, break harmful cycles, and rebuild new and improved pathways to achieve holistic health and well-being.” These are the words of the reigning Miss South Africa 2020, Shudufhadzo Musida. An author, Musida earned a Bachelor of Social Science degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Pretoria and her honours degree in International Relations at the University of Witwatersrand.

She hails from “Africa’s Garden of Eden,” Limpopo, Ha-Masia village in Vhembe District Municipality. In her recently published book, Shudu Finds Her Magic, which she published in partnership with Miss South Africa, Musida tells an inspiring tale of how she overcame her sadness and some of life’s difficulties, from childhood, being a teenage girl and becoming a woman who has learned to love herself.

A renowned champion of mental healthcare, she launched her online mental health initiative #Mindful Mondays, in association with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) and Discovery Vitality which she drives on her Instagram platform.

Musida is an active citizen having addressed the United Nations Generation Equality Forum on issues relating to mental health during the global launch of the “Education Plus” Joint Initiative, which was created to empower adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa to deal with challenges presented by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.