11 July 2025 Volume :13 Issue :21

UKZN CrazySocks4Docs Winner Announced

Ms Zilingene Mkhwanazi showing off her crazy socks.

Fourth-year MBChB student Ms Zilingene Mkhwanazi was announced as the winner of the 2025 Ithemba Foundation CrazySocks4Docs campaign at UKZN.

Entrants were invited to post a photo of themselves wearing ‘crazy socks’ on 6 June, tagging the Ithemba Foundation on Facebook (@IthembaFoundation1) or Instagram (@ithembafoundation) by 13 June. The campaign aims to raise awareness for mental health in the medical profession, and to remind healthcare professionals that it’s okay to seek support.

Mkhwanazi received R2 000, sponsored by Netcare, for her winning entry.

“I supported the initiative because, as healthcare professionals, we often prioritise the well-being of others while forgetting that it’s just as important to care for ourselves,” she said. “I want to break the stigma around mental health in healthcare and acknowledge that behind the scrubs and white coats, we are human too.”

“Winning CrazySocks4Docs makes me happy because it means my work to raise awareness about mental health in the healthcare field is being seen, acknowledged, and celebrated,” she added.

Mkhwanazi was born and raised in Newcastle. She joined UKZN’s Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine after matriculating from Hope High School in 2021 with seven distinctions, where she also served as Head of Academics and ranked first among the school’s top 10 learners.

Mkhwanazi is a former Chairperson of the Methodist Students’ Society Medical School Branch which was revived in 2024 after being inactive since 2017. She is also involved in Project Giveback which empowers communities through acts of service, kindness and love. “We donate food, clothes, and anything that may help for those in need,” she said.

UKZN’s Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine has for several years supported the Ithemba Foundation’s #CrazySocks4Docs campaign highlighting the mental health challenges faced by South Africa’s healthcare workers - including doctors, nurses, medical students, and hospital staff.

“What an exciting CrazySocks4Docs competition we had this year, with entries from campuses across the country and wonderful media coverage on various platforms. We are also very grateful to Netcare, who doubled our prize money for each of the winners to R2 000,” Ithemba Foundation said.

The campaign also gained visibility through its hashtags: #CrazySocks4Docs #CS4D #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #Care4OurCarers

Words: Lunga Memela

Photograph: Supplied

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