BY THE age of eight she knew one day she wanted to help people.
She was living with her aunt and grandfather in the village of Ha-Masia, in the northernmost part of Limpopo, and their next door neighbour was a young girl who was the head of the household, looking after her two brothers.
“Seeing the struggles and the hardship that she went through, I decided there and then that I’m going to build a big haven with white walls and a blue roof where women and children can get help and be empowered,” says Shudufhadzo Musida, the newly crowned Miss South Africa.
Shudufhadzo (24) entered the competition because she wanted to have a platform to help people to help themselves – and now she has it.
She’s had only four hours sleep since the glitzy event at Cape Town’s Table Bay Hotel – she’s been chatting to family and friends in Limpopo.
“First thing when I woke up this morning was think that maybe this was just a dream,” says Shudu, as her 40 000 new Instagram followers also call her.
She’d prayed the morning of the big day. “I started listening to victory music because I knew there’d be a victory. Victory didn’t necessarily mean the crown but I knew I was going to be victorious.”
Shudu’s family are immensely proud of her. Her estate-agent mom, Thandi (42), has been her biggest supporter. “Every time I had work engagements in the community, she’d be right next to me, helping me carry food parcels. She’s like my best friend.”
Her younger sister, Zwonka (13), is also chuffed at her big sister’s win. “She sent me a selfie with the message, ‘The apartment is ours!’,” Shudu says with a laugh.
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