SHUDUFHADZO MUSIDA
Miss South Africa; Founder: #MindfulMondays (24)
Shudufhadzo Musida is out to prove that the Miss South Africa crown can provide a platform from which to effect real change. Since accepting the title, Musida has indicated that her priority will be to shine a spotlight on one of the issues closest to her heart: that of mental health.
The aim is to shift
mental health ‘from being a taboo subject to one that is openly discussed in public forums’. She acknowledges that it’s hard to quantify the impact of what
she does
Musida has been open in the past about her own struggles with mental health, particularly as a result of bullying as a child. She has said that she reached a point at which she started to dress like a boy in order to avoid attracting attention to herself.
Now, she is taking national attention and putting it to good use. Since February, Musida has been hosting Instagram discussions about mental health using the hashtag #MindfulMondays. The project has been undertaken in collaboration with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group.
The aim, Musida told DM168, is to shift mental health “from being a taboo subject to one that is openly discussed in public forums”. She acknowledges that it’s hard to quantify the impact of what she does.
“But, from the messages I’ve received, you see people realising not only is it okay not to be okay, but also getting educated about the resources available to help them,” Musida says.
Education about mental health, she believes, can help “create a society filled with compassion and kindness”.
Despite all the darkness in South Africa currently, Musida feels strongly about holding on to the principle that “we are a nation built on ubuntu”.
Musida, who also completed her honours degree in International Relations at Wits University in 2020, says that ideally she would like to take her mindful movement to a “global stage” in future.