The Minister is the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, has congratulated the newly crowned Miss SA.
Shudufhadzo Musida, 24, from Limpopo walked away with the Miss SA 2020 title on Saturday in Cape Town.
Musida beat the other hopefuls from various provinces who were vying for the glittering crown named Buhle.
Thato Mosehle from North West was announced the first runner-up, while Natasha Joubert from Gauteng is the second runner-up.
Minister Nkoana-Mashabane said she was very impressed with Musida, who is currently studying towards an honours degree in International Relations at Wits University. The stunner also has a Bachelor of Social Sciences in philosophy, politics and economics.
The new Miss SA said she was passionate about tackling mental health issues and was committed to spreading the message.
The beauty queen took to Twitter to express her gratitude.
“I am your Miss South Africa 2020. It’s finally sinking in. Thank you so much to everyone for your love and support. It took an entire village to get me here and I stand here on a mountain of prayers. I love you all so much,” she tweeted.
The Minister thinks that Musida’s strong leadership qualities demonstrate that she will be a sterling ambassador for the youth given the current persistent scourge of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) in the country.
The department believes that mental health is strongly linked to gender-based violence and femicide.
The Minister said her victory also comes at a time when the country is heading towards the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children 2020 Campaign.
Nkoana-Mashabane said she would like to enlist Miss SA 2020 to collaborate with the department in the fight against GBVF.
“We have a responsibility not to fold our arms while we are witnesses to moral degeneration. The youth are the ones who bear the brunt of moral decay. They are often perceived as agents of immoral behaviour or helpless victims who need some external intervention. They themselves decry the lack of role models and opportunities for right living. We need strong interventions with youth to break this cycle,” said Nkoana-Mashabane.
The Minister has called on all South Africans to make interventions in their own spaces to respond to the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide as a society.
“Ambassadors like Miss South Africa are very important in addressing behavioural change that is needed to end the killing of women and children,” she added. – SAnews.gov.za
