Miss South Africa Shudufadzo Musida yesterday vowed to make it her priority to de-stigmatise mental health, especially during Covid-19.
Musida, who was crowned in Cape Town a week ago, said mental health was an important topic especially because of Covid-19.
“People have lost a lot. People have lost loved ones, people have lost jobs and we were locked up for about five months – and that is not something that we must take lightly and I think that is a conversation that we need to engage with, now more than ever, because it is necessary,” she said.
Musida vowed to bring more awareness to mental health, especially in rural and disadvantaged areas because she believes people need to work on their minds for any change to come about in the country.
“I plan to mobilise various stakeholders and the nation so we can bring about educational empowerment through the tackling of issues such as period poverty among young girls, workshops that teach children about the importance of mental health from a young age, and mentorship programmes for young women so they can be empowered to be agents of their own future,” she said.
Musida promised to continue the fight against food insecurity in rural communities because children can only be their best at school when their basic needs are met.
