Fashioning Modern Africanism

Miss South Africa Shudufhadzo Musida will be doing a 5km run to raise funds for mental wellbeing on Thursday, April 15, at 07h00 in partnership with Discovery Vitality and the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG). She will be accompanied by Miss Supranational South Africa and Miss South Africa 2020 first runner-up, Dr Thato Mosehle, who will be representing South Africa at the Miss Supranational pageant later this year. Discovery Vitality – which has partnered with Miss South Africa and her hugely successful #MindfulMondays initiative – will be donating R20 000 to SADAG on Musida’s behalf. Members of the public are invited to join the Team Vitality running community on Strava for free and run virtually with Shudu. Says Musida: “Mental health is a cause close to my heart and I am delighted to be able to do something to raise much-needed money for SADAG, which is doing such a wonderful job at this stressful time. I encourage everyone to join me virtually as well as to donat

The gown includes local children’s perceptions of lockdown and the pandemic  through their own drawings Miss Universe South Africa, Natasha Joubert, has revealed some of the outfits she will be wearing when the 69th Miss Universe pageant takes place in Florida in the US on Sunday, May 16, when our own Zozibini Tunzi will crown her successor at the end of the event.   Twenty-three-year-old Joubert, a B. Comm graduate, believes she is fully prepared for Miss Universe: "My preparations started when I was crowned Miss Universe South Africa last year. I have been looking forward to this event from the moment of my crowning and will carry the Miss Universe South Africa title with pride. I know that I have big shoes to fill following in the footsteps of both Zozi and Demi-Leigh Nel- Peters.”   Joubert’s national costume – which she showed off at her Miss Universe farewell as part of her  #DestinyDesigned  virtual fashion show – has been designed by designer to the stars Gert-Johan Coetze

    Johannesburg, South Africa  - Special Olympics South Africa and the Shudufhadzo Foundation this past weekend launched their partnership with Fulufhelo Special School in Tohoyandou, Vhembe in Limpopo Province. The partnership will focus on the mental health and physical well-being of children and adults living with an intellectual disability (ID) and also aims to create awareness of the challenges faced by people living with ID in South Africa.                    Ms Shudufhadzo Musida, the Chairperson of the Shudufhadzo Foundation, who spoke at the launch said,  “It is important to note that while ID is not a mental illness, children and adults with ID experience stigmatisation, discrimination, bullying, neglect and marginalisation which leaves them at greater risk of developing mental health issues. They are often diagnosed only with ID and not screened for potential mental health problems.” The partnership was launched with the announcement of a pilot project at Fulufhelo Special

Miss South Africa 2020 Shudufhadzo Musida will be focusing on teen depression in her next #Mindful Mondays conversation to mark Teen Suicide Prevention Week. Musida’s guest is GP and social media influencer Dr Sindi van Zyl and the two will talk about teen depression; its causes and symptoms; are boys and girls affected differently; how does one identify the warning signs for suicide; how to start the conversation with a friend or child about depression or suicide and how does one get help if you, or someone you know is thinking of suicide? Dr Sindi uses her social media platforms to educate people about important health issues and has a special interest in mental health. The conversation takes place on Shudu’s Instagram platform @shudufhadzomusida on Monday, February 15, from 17h00 to 18h00.   #Mindful Mondays, an online mental health initiative hosted in conjunction with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), launched last week and has already proven to be hugely suc

The 24-year-old – who comes from Ha-Masia in Limpopo – has a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Pretoria. She is currently doing her BA Honours in International Relations at the University of Witwatersrand. She will receive R1 million in cash as well as a further R2 million worth of sponsorships and prizes, including the use of a luxury Sandton apartment and a Mercedes-Benz cabriolet for a year.   First runner-up was medical doctor Thato Mosehle (25) from Klerksdorp in the North West who received R250 000 in cash. Second runner-up Natasha Joubert (23), a B Com graduate from Pretoria, Gauteng, collected R100 000.   For the first time in the history of the Miss South Africa pageant, the trio will represent the country at the world’s three most prestigious pageants. Previously, the Miss South Africa Organisation has sent a representative to both Miss Universe and Miss World, but will also now be fielding a candidate to Miss Supranation

Miss South Africa 2020 will be crowned at The Table Bay hotel in an entertainment-packed event on Saturday, October 24, from 17h00. The event will be screened live on M-Net and Mzansi Magic and will also be streamed online. For Tunzi it seems surreal: “I was a contestant on stage just a year ago and was in awe of the women on the judging panel.”   Tunzi went on to take the Miss South Africa crown before winning Miss Universe: “I know what it is like first hand to be in the job that these incredible women are applying for. I am excited to see how that experience will be of help in the judging panel. One woman’s life is about to change and I am a part of a panel that will make that happen. I am nervous but mostly humbled and excited by it. ”   So what will she be looking for in a potential Miss South Africa: “There are different aspects to look out for, but I am mostly looking for someone with raw authenticity and sincerity about who they are. I am not looking for perfection or moral pur

  The dazzling 2020 Miss South Africa finale will feature some of this country’s most exciting musical talent, several of whom will performing their new songs for the very first time. Two of this year’s acts are no strangers to Miss South Africa – Mi Casa performed at the Sun City finale in 2014 when Rolene Strauss took the crown and Sho Madjozi wowed the crowds at Time Square last year when Zozibini Tunzi triumphed. Joining them for the 2020 pageant – to be held at The Table Bay hotel in an entertainment-packed event on Saturday, October 24, from 17h00 and broadcast live on M-Net and Mzansi Magic – are Ami Faku, Jimmy Nevis and Sun El-Musician.   Mi Casa, one of the most loved dance bands in the country, will be performing their latest single from their new album  We Made It . With a sound that has not only stood the test of time but shaped South African dance floors for the past decade, the band has gone from strength to strength with their Afro-Pop/House grooves and shown the world

Leading actress, media personality and humanitarian Nomzamo Mbatha has been announced as the host of this year’s dazzling Miss South Africa pageant.   It will be the first time that the South African actress and businesswoman will host Miss SA, although she is no novice to the stage having hosted multiple international events outside of the African continent.   Miss South Africa 2020 will be crowned at The Table Bay hotel in an entertainment-packed event on Saturday, October 24, from 17h00. The event will be screened live on M-Net and Mzansi Magic and will also be streamed live for an international audience.   Mbatha, in her role as UN Eminent High-Level Champion on Gender Equality, recently delivered a lauded speech at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. The theme of the UN meeting was “Accelerating the realisation of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”. Due to her remarkable work with UNHCR Africa, Mbatha was appointed as a UNHCR Global Go

The  Miss South Africa 2020  winner will receive R1 million in cash from the Miss South Africa Organisation, as well as the use of a fully furnished and serviced apartment at luxurious Central Square with fabulous interior décor by Enza Home and a Mercedes Benz C200 Cabriolet for the year of her reign. The prizes and sponsors include, in alphabetical order: American Swiss: Official crown sponsor Bacher & Co: Fragrance sponsorship for year of reign Brand South Africa: Play Your Part Ambassador Cahi Dental: Dental and oral hygiene care Central Square : Use of a luxurious two-bedroom apartment in the heart of Sandton  Enza Home: Interior designers and furnishers of the Miss South Africa apartment Firepower Group: Empowering Miss South Africa with self-development workshops Havaianas South Africa: Casual summer shoes for year of reign KISCH IP: Assisting Miss South Africa with her official trademark and IP needs Lajawi Hair: Official styling sponsor for year of reign Mercedes Benz: The

The Miss South Africa Top 10 reveal what they will be doing to celebrate Heritage Day on Thursday, September 24. Aphelele Mbiyo  (24) who was born in Mthata and raised in Port Elizabeth but currently lives in Johannesburg, holds a BA in Integrated Marketing Communications says Heritage Day speaks to identity, where we come from and what it means to be uniquely diverse in South Africa. The perfect meal for me would be pap and chakalaka with braaied chops which I would love to share with those outside my culture to experience our diversity.    "I will be spending the day with family and friends and I am sure we will celebrate at home. Heritage Day for me means a celebration of all the different creeds and cultures in South Africa in an effort to bring the nation together. This is a day that enables one to feel proud of who they are without feeling judged or stereotyped to the notions that exist about their culture and how diverse it is by seeing how we are more alike than we are dif