Former Miss South Africa 2020 Shudufhadzo Musida has finally arrived in Puerto Rico to battle for the Miss World title after the event was put to a halt several times due to Covid-19.
It has been confirmed that the 70th Miss World coronation night is set to take place on March 16 and will be broadcast globally.
Despite being faced with these challenges brought by the pandemic, the 26-year-old had secured a spot for herself in the top 40 in the Beauty With A Purpose part of the competition.
Musida’s advocacy campaign is built around bringing awareness to issues of mental health as she believes it is one of the grave ills prevalent in our communities.
The beauty queen hosts discussions about mental health on her Instagram account and understands tackling such issues also helps her heal and learn more about mental health as well.
“I’m Miss SA but I, too, have struggles and I can only hope that with the little I do through Mindful Mondays people can know they’re not alone. I’m with them,” she shared on Instagram.
Musida highlighted that she continues to work tirelessly in events that have won her the Beauty With A Purpose part in Miss World.
“The year 2022 got off to a sad start with the death by suicide of our dear friend Miss USA Cheslie Kryst. It was a solitary lesson to those of us who work in the space that mental health issues affect us all. It hit home harder than ever and untreated depression leads us to despair and often to death when South Africans have to deal with the aftermath of a death by suicide.
“There was a ripple of national sorrow when a beloved South African artist, male artist died by suicide. There was such an outpouring of regret from the public that I felt it was important to discuss masculine toxicity that made it so difficult for men to discuss or even acknowledge mental health,” she said.
The 26-year-old strives to ensure that the conversation on mental health persists around the world. She believes in creating an environment that is a safe space for everyone and working on a global level to promote good mental health.