ZOË MODIGA

Graduate Reflections 🎓 As an international student, Shudufhadzo (Shudu) Musida MPA '26 learned that she can find community anywhere. And what better place than NYC!

A short Tribute to Maria: You embodied Johannesburg in a way that very few people ever could. Not the polished, curated version of the city… but the real Joburg. The gritty, stylish, endlessly creative heartbeat of it. The version that lives in back alleys, market stalls, rooftop conversations, vintage rails, late-night chats, and the beautiful chaos of the CBD you loved so much. You moved through this city with effortless cool. Your style never chased trends because you *were* the mood long before everyone else caught up. Through every era of Joburg, you remained unmistakably yourself; bold, creative, elegant, eccentric, hilarious and warm. You were the proverbial cool aunty. Somehow timeless. Seemingly untouched by age. At 50, you still carried the same magnetic energy, curiosity and originality that made people gravitate toward you decades ago. But what made people love you most was that beneath all that style and edge was someone deeply easy, deeply kind, deeply human. You could disarm people instantly. You made people feel seen. You made this city feel smaller, softer, more connected. As a publicist, you didn’t just tell stories about Johannesburg’s culture- you helped define it. You gave platforms to brands, artists, musicians, designers and creatives long before the world recognised their brilliance. You understood this city instinctively. You knew where the energy was moving before the rest of us did. For me, I’ll always remember how you got me into thrifting. I think about our market days in Maboneng and the many times we drove home from groove in the early hours of the morning blasting music in my little aveo. That period will forever be etched in my memory; the music, the energy, the feeling that Joburg was alive and becoming something new every weekend. Those memories feel inseparable from you. And what a gift it now feels that this year, the people who loved you got to celebrate you properly. To honour you while you were here. To gather around you and reflect back the love, admiration and community you spent your life building. Watching that celebration, watching your people show up for you felt so deeply special. It was beautiful to see the family you created around yourself, across generations, industries and communities. The CBD was your stomping ground. You didn’t just exist in Johannesburg, you curated it. You shaped its cultural texture. Its look, its feeling, its mythology. Your passing feels like the end of an era. Joburg will never quite be the same without you in it. Rest beautifully, Maria. The city you loved so fiercely will carry your fingerprints forever.