Miss SA to withdraw from participating in pageant in apartheid ‘Israel’

Cape Town (QNN)- Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane, will withdraw from participating in the Miss Universe Pageant, which will be organized next month in ‘Eilat’, a city built on the ruins of ethnically cleansed Palestinian villages.
Africa For Palestine, the continent’s largest Palestine solidarity organization, announced that it was reliably informed that Miss South Africa is withdrawing participation from the controversial Israel-hosted Miss Universe Pageant.
Breaking! After public outcry we have been reliably informed that Miss South Africa is withdrawing participation from the controversial Israel hosted beauty pageant✊♥️👏 # ✊ pic.twitter.com/FfODPc2trs
— #Africa4Palestine (@Africa4Pal) November 9, 2021
Lately, miss South Africa has been facing criticism by anti-apartheid activists and organizations over her announcement that she will take part in the Miss Universe Pageant.
As the international pageant is set to take place in the occupation state of Israel, people were 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.
Mandla Mandela, the grandson of South Africa’s leader Nelson 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.