THE FUSE

Former Miss South Africa, model and mental health activist Shudufhadzo Musida celebrated Women’s Day in a special way as she graced the cover of Manor Africa’s Women’s Day issue.

The magazine chose Shudufhadzo as its cover star as part of its celebration of Women’s Month, highlighting women who continue to challenge expectations and create their own paths. For Shudufhadzo, the cover was more than just a magazine feature. It gave her an opportunity to reflect on the women who came before her and the responsibility that comes with having the freedom to make her own choices.

Taking to social media, Shudufhadzo shared what the moment meant to her and reflected on the importance of Women’s Month.

“Happy Women’s Day I am honoured to be on the cover of @manor.africa Women’s day issue.

I’ve been sitting with what it means to reflect on the women who came before me, the ones who made it possible for me to be radical, to be free, to make my own choices about who I become and what future I want to build.

But that freedom comes with responsibility. To rise is not to rise alone. It’s to remember the door that stayed open, the shoes someone bought when there was barely enough, the community that raised us before we knew to call it that.

I’ve come to believe I can be all things I want to be, but I also believe I need to be of service. To be in service, in respect, is to be a blessing. Shudufhadzo was the name I was given, but choosing to be called by it was my own, and it’s the responsibility I carry forward, not just for myself, but for every woman still finding her way to her own name.

To every woman doing the work of becoming, Happy Women’s Day. We are not rising alone.”

Manor also explained why they chose Shudufhadzo for the cover as they celebrated Women’s Month. The publication described her as a woman who refuses to be limited by expectations or inherited definitions.

“This Women’s month, Manor celebrates women who refuse inherited definitions. Our cover star, Shudufhadzo Musida, has never been one to fit into predetermined moulds. From championing global mental health as a UN Global Champion to carving out her own definition of leadership, she continually transforms personal identity into a lasting legacy.”

Shudufhadzo also opened up about her journey during her interview with the magazine, including the reasons that led her to enter Miss South Africa.

Speaking about the lack of access to opportunities in South Africa, she said, “South Africa doesn’t have access to opportunities,’ she says, explaining why she entered Miss South Africa. ‘If you don’t know people who know people, it’s very hard to get to where you need to get to.

There are a lot of brilliant people out there, but unless you’ve got the visibility, it’s very difficult. We’re told that education is the key to economic emancipation but actually access to opportunities has always been the big thing. I graduated with a triple major and I still couldn’t find a job.’”

For Shudufhadzo, pageantry eventually became more than a beauty competition. She viewed it as another form of education and a platform where issues surrounding power, representation and agency could be explored.

“In a roundabout way, pageantry was another form of education, a place which also engages many of the same things of her PPE studies: power, representation, and agency.

‘The issue is that when people think pageantry, they think stupid. But I think women in pageantry are some of the smartest, most hard-working people.’”

Through her Manor cover, Shudufhadzo continues to use her platform to speak about identity, opportunity, leadership and the importance of women supporting one another. Her message for Women’s Day is clear: success is not simply about rising above others, but remembering the people and communities who helped make that rise possible.

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