The government refuses to associate with the “atrocities committed against Palestinians”, while the organizers of Miss South Africa emphasize that it is not a “political event”.
Le Monde with AFP
The South African government announced on Sunday, November 14, that it did not support the current Miss South Africa’s decision to participate in the Annual Miss Universe competition scheduled for December 12 in Eilat, Israel. This statement falls after pressures on Lalela Mswane, recently crowned, to boycott the competition because of the “atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians”, according to the South African Ministry of Arts and Culture.
But the organizers of the Miss South Africa competition felt that Lalela Mswane had to go there and “he turned out difficult to […] persuade their decision,” says a departmental release. As a result, the government “withdraws its support” following the “intransigence” organizers. “The atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians are well documented and the government, as a legitimate representative of the people of South Africa, can not associate with it,” added the ministry.
Last week, the organizers of Miss South Africa had pointed out that the Miss Universe contest was not “a political event”. To be able to “prove disastrous for the future [of Lalela Mswane] and his public position as a young and black woman,” warned the Minister of Culture, Nathi Mthethwa. In a statement, the African National Congress (ANC, in power) urged the organizers of Miss South Africa “to listen and hear the irresistible call […] to boycott the MISS Universe […] contest in Israel, where reigns. apartheid “.
South Africa has been supporting the Palestinian cause since 1995, when formal diplomatic relations have been established, one year after the end of apartheid. She reduced her embassy to Tel Aviv in 2019 and withdrew her ambassador.