Dr Moratwe Masima, the first runner-up of Miss South Africa 2021, has once again captured the public’s admiration, this time not only for her beauty or stage presence, but for her academic and professional strides in mental health. Recently, she earned a postgraduate diploma in mental health from the College of Medicine of South Africa, marking a significant achievement in her growing medical career.
Moratwe, who is also a qualified medical doctor, has managed to bridge the often distant worlds of pageantry and healthcare through a deep commitment to public service, advocacy, and compassion.
Originally from Atholl, Johannesburg, with family roots in Matatiele in the Eastern Cape, Masima has always carried a dual identity, one shaped by the privileges of urban access and another grounded in the realities of rural South Africa. That balance has driven much of her advocacy work, including her popular campaign “Your Health, Your Dignity,” which aims to improve reproductive health education and empower women through information and access. This initiative, launched shortly after her pageant success has reached hundreds of young women across the country, and it highlights her belief that health is not just physical but deeply emotional and mental as well.
Masima’s decision to study mental health was born from her experience working in public hospitals, where she repeatedly witnessed the devastating effects of untreated mental illness. She emphasized that many South Africans suffer from conditions like depression, anxiety, PTSD, and schizophrenia, yet there is still stigma and a lack of accessible, compassionate treatment. While she clarified that she is not a psychologist, her training as a medical doctor allows her to assess and prescribe medication for psychiatric conditions, a critical skill in the country’s overstretched healthcare system.
Her work is not limited to clinics and hospitals. Masima uses her platform to advocate for women’s health on social media, in schools, and through community outreach programs. She has collaborated with non-profits like Dream Girls Academy and Toys4Africa and remains deeply engaged in efforts to tackle teenage pregnancy, gender-based violence, and mental health stigma.
In interviews, she has spoken candidly about her motivations, including being the first doctor in her family and growing up aware of the social inequalities that prevent many South Africans, particularly young women, from receiving dignified, adequate healthcare.
Throughout her journey, Masima has maintained that beauty and intellect are not mutually exclusive. Her story challenges outdated stereotypes about women in pageants and highlights how platforms like Miss South Africa can be used not only to inspire but also to educate and create meaningful change.
She has expressed a strong interest in the future of psychiatry, especially as mental health becomes a growing area of concern both locally and globally. She’s also enthusiastic about the potential of psychedelic-assisted therapy and other emerging fields in mental health care.
For Dr Moratwe Masima, this postgraduate diploma is not just another academic certificate, it’s a tool to serve communities better, to speak louder for the voiceless, and to advocate for a healthcare system that treats the mind with the same urgency as the body. Her ability to transform the spotlight of fame into a force for public good stands as a powerful example of what it means to lead with purpose, passion, and empathy.
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