Miss SA faces criticism over participation in pageant in apartheid ‘Israel’
Cape Town (QNN)- Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane, has been facing criticism by anti-apartheid activists and organizations over her announcement that she will take part in the Miss Universe Pageant, which will be organized next month in ‘Eilat’, a city built on the ruins of ethnically cleansed Palestinian villages.
As the international pageant is set to take place in the occupation state of Israel, people are questioning Mswane’s decision to attend.
The criticism largely comes from South Africa’s history with apartheid and colonialism, which is very similar to Palestine’s history and current situation. It also comes following Human Rights Watch’s coining of ‘Israel’ as an apartheid state.
The Palestine Solidarity Alliance has expressed strong criticism for Mswane’s decision and called her for boycotting the pageant.
According to Opera News, Mswane has blocked the solidarity group from communication.
The Miss South Africa Organisation had said that it “is not getting involved in a political war of words and looks forward to watching Miss SA make the country proud on an international stage”.
Mandla Mandela, the grandson of South Africa’s leader Nilson Mandela, had called on African countries to boycott the Miss Universe competition, which will be held in the occupation state.
He also called on Mswane, as well as all former Miss South Africa winners, to boycott that event in protest at the “occupation and the cruel treatment of Palestinians at the hands of apartheid Israel regime”.
“There is nothing beautiful about occupation, brutality and institutionalised discrimination against the Palestinian people,” said Mandela.
Mandela further said the harassment of Palestinians should be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and that Israel’s occupation was no less despicable than apartheid in South Africa.
