5 things you should know about the newly crowned Miss SA, Shudufhadzo Musida

Shudufhadzo Musida was crowned Miss South Africa 2020 at a ceremony held at the Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town on Saturday evening.

Yassss Queen! Shudufhadzo Musida was crowned Miss South Africa 2020 at a ceremony held at the Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town on Saturday evening. She takes over the reins from Miss South Africa 2019 Sasha-Lee Olivier.

The first and second runners-up are Tato Moselle and Natasha Joubert.

Musida quickly became a fan favourite at the start of this year's contest. Back in August, she was the winner of the public vote when the pageant announced the Miss SA top 10 finalists.

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And just like that, a life has been changed forever. I carry with me the women that came before me so that tonight could be. May this year be one of purpose and change. My beloved South Africa, Ndo livhuwa.

A post shared by Shudufhadzo Musiḓa 🇿🇦 (@shudufhadzomusida) on Oct 24, 2020 at 12:40pm PDT

Musida wins a package of prizes and sponsorships worth more than R3 million.

The two runners-up walk away with R250,000 and R100,000 respectively.

Here are some facts about the reigning beauty queen:

Bullied because of her background

Musida hails from Ha-Masia in Limpopo, a village located in Vhembe District Municipality. In a TV interview, the beauty queen revealed that she was bullied at school because she was Venda.

I was bullied because I was Venda. I had to endure bullying for seven years... I just got to the point where I didn't want to fit into a mould where people think it's okay to look down on people based on where they come from... Where you come from does not determine where you are going to go.
Shudufhadzo Musida, Miss South Africa 2020

Not just a pretty face

The 24-year-old graduated with a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Pretoria last year.

She's currently doing her BA Honours in International Relations at the University of Witwatersrand.

Philosophy Politics & Economics 👩🏾‍🎓 pic.twitter.com/PFZEzMBprr
— Shudufhadzo (@abigailmusida) September 4, 2019

First attempt at pageantry

Before entering Miss SA 2020, Musida had never taken part in a beauty pageant before. In an interview with Afternoon Express earlier this month, she says she was inspired to enter after seeing Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi wear the crown last year.

Here's her Miss SA entry video posted back in May:

plucking up the courage to do this was hard because failure has always been something that scares me - especially when the world is watching. But I am taking a step to put myself out there and fail forward.
I hope to be a part of this journey with your support 😘 #misssa2020 pic.twitter.com/Zb24SXh3C2
— Shudufhadzo (@abigailmusida) May 29, 2020

No stranger to being on camera

Musida is a fashion model and she started her modelling career when she was 17. She has shot for various brands and campaigns, including retailer Woolworths and skincare range Eucerin. She was even featured in Vogue Italia back in 2018.

I’m so proud to be part of this incredible @woolworths_sa #ownyouryou campaign. 💙

We will donate R10 to breast cancer awareness for every 2-pack t-shirt bra you buy on your woolies card or credit card in the month of October Ts & Cs apply. pic.twitter.com/7G0qz5HA5c
— Shudufhadzo (@abigailmusida) October 1, 2019

THATS MY FACE FOR EUCERIN 😩😩😩❤️ pic.twitter.com/0K1XnoQJIG
— Shudufhadzo (@abigailmusida) February 24, 2018

My favorite shots by @alixrosecowie & Gemma Shepherd ✨ pic.twitter.com/LcUV2FLfpY
— Shudufhadzo (@abigailmusida) January 25, 2018

A Queen with a cause

She an advocate for mental health awareness and the economic empowerment of women and children and believes the Miss SA platform will help amplify her social activism efforts.

Here's the final statement she made during the top 3 round of the ceremony on Saturday night: