Honoured twice for her work in the mental health space

All kudos to Miss South Africa 2020, Shudufhadzo Musida who has had the double honour of being recognised by the United Nations AND Glamour magazine for her contribution to removing the stigma attached to issues of mental health.

All kudos to Miss South Africa 2020, Shudufhadzo Musida who has had the double honour of being recognised by the United Nations AND Glamour magazine for her contribution to removing the stigma attached to issues of mental health.

Her first accolade came when Shudu was invited by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to serve as its “Regional Champion”.

The UNFPA’s Lydia Zigomo, regional director for East and Southern Africa, said Shudu’s advocacy for mental health awareness, something she devoted the year of her reign to, would see her empower young women and girls in the region especially in the areas of sexual and reproductive health.

In accepting the position, Shudu described the intersection between the trauma experienced by women who do not have control over their own bodies and mental illness. She intends, during her stint as regional champion, to let women and girls know that gender based violence, rape, unwanted pregnancies and challenges around their reproductive health is not something they have to live with.

Ms Zigomo explained Shudu’s role: “She will address the challenges that surround mental health. Misunderstood, stigmatized and often left untreated, mental health has become a crisis. UNFPA is at the forefront of “Healing When Crisis Strikes” – providing lifesaving sexual and reproductive health services, and integrating services for gender-based violence, mental health, and psychosocial support.”

In the same week, Glamour (in 2021 Shudu was given the coveted cover on two issues of the magazine) chose her as the Glamour Woman of the Year 2022 (WOTY) in the Mental Health Gamechanger category.

This, Nontando Mposo, Glamour editor-in-chief, said was in recognition “for your work and dedication in educating and shining a spotlight on mental health through your initiative “Mindful Mondays” which provided education and information around mental health wellness.

Miss SA 2020’s successful reign included her writing a book about how she was bullied as a child, Shudu Finds Her Magic (it quickly moved onto the children’s best seller list).

She said: “I’m overwhelmed by the accolades that have been bestowed on me. The one thing that I am happy about is that this acknowledgement is proof that my work in the mental health space is not going unnoticed.

“The more we can get the word out there, the better it is all round. I am so happy to receive this attention, because it means mental health is getting a voice.”