The South African government has said that it is disassociating itself from the decision made by the reigning Miss South Africa who is participating in the annually held Miss Universe contest in Israel.
The South African government pulled back its support after the organisation that is overseeing the contest in Israel denied withdrawing the Miss Universe contest from being held in Israel. This move comes amid the calls for boycotting the show in support of the Palestinian people.
The decision was taken after crowned Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane, who was declared Miss SA in October and the pageant organiser Miss SA did not boycott the pageant which will be held in December. The boycott was called to condemn Israel's treatment and violations of the rights of the Palestinian people.
In a statement on Sunday, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture said that it made attempts to persuade Miss SA to withdraw herself from participating in the event and still hopes to convince Mswane. “It has proven difficult to persuade the Miss SA pageant organizers to reconsider their decision to partake in the Miss Universe event,” the arts and culture ministry stated in its statement.
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Meanwhile, the local beauty pageant organizers are resolute that the recently crowned Miss SA Lalela Mswane should go and take part in the event.
Therefore, the government withdrew its support following the organizers’ “intransigence.”
South Africa has been a strong supporter of the Palestinian people since 1995 after it established formal diplomatic relations with Palestine, a year after the end of apartheid. South Africa has been vocal about Israel’s treatment of Palestinians reminds the South African people of the injustices and crimes that the Black population had once suffered. However, Israel denies maintaining an apartheid policy against Palestinians.
The country had also taken down its embassy in Tel Aviv in 2019 and pulled out its ambassador.
Political parties including the ruling African National Congress and some of the country's biggest trade unions have also supported the Miss Universe boycott. "At this stage, the participation of so-called Miss South Africa would be irrelevant," said Bram Hanekom, a board member at Palestinian solidarity group Africa4Palestine.
"Nobody can say she is representing the country... (it) would leave her alone with the organisers who seem hell-bent to proceed."
No comments have been made by the Israeli government yet, neither Miss SA has given her comment on this matter.
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“The atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians are well documented and government, as the legitimate representative of the people of South Africa, cannot in good conscience associate itself with such,” said the ministry.
The Miss Universe pageant is slated to be held on December 12 at the Red Sea resort town of Eilat.
Last week, the Miss SA pageant organizers argued that the Miss Universe pageant is not a “politically inspired event,” while the SA Arts Minister Nathi Mthethwa warned that proceeding ahead with participation “prove disastrous to her (Mswane’s) future and public standing as a young, black woman.”
The ruling ANC party issued a statement that urged the organizers “to hear and listen to the overwhelming call for the Miss South Africa team to boycott the upcoming apartheid Israel hosted Miss Universe.”