Meet The Newly Crowned Miss South Africa, Shudufhadzo Musida

A stunner!

On Saturday night, South Africa crowned their new Miss S.A, Shudufhadzo Musida. “It feels surreal because during the whole time, all I could think about was ‘Oh my God, everyone in my village is watching! Everyone at home is watching,” an ecstatic Musida exclaimed after being crowned. The beauty queen hails from Ha-Masia, Limpopo and is 23 years old.

She has a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Pretoria, and is currently doing her BA Honours in International Relations at the University of Witwatersrand.

She takes over from Zozibini Tunzi, who awed the world when she won Miss Universe with short hair unambiguously black. Musida doesn’t feel pressure following in her footsteps though, “When I first saw her (Zozi), I saw my own face reflected. Before that I didn’t realise that people who looked like me could compete and win on international stages. She opened the door for me and allowed me to take up my own space. I’m not worried about comparisons – they aren’t a bad thing at all. I’m awed to be following in her footsteps.”