Twenty organisations call for boycott of Miss Universe pageant

18 November 2021, 9:41 PM | Horisani Sithole | @SABCNews Image: Reuters

Contestants line up on stage during the Miss Universe 2013 pageant at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow November 9, 2013.

Twenty organisations have made the call to boycott this year’s Miss Universe beauty pageant, which will be hosted in Israel next month.

The protest is supported by, among others the African National Congress (ANC), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), National Freedom Party (NFP), The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), The Congress of South African Students (COSAS), Embassy of Palestine and the Royal House of Mandela at Mvezo.

24-year-old Lalela Mswane was crowned Miss South Africa 2021 in Cape Town last month and is this year’s representative for Miss Universe.

Last week, government withdrew its support for the Miss SA pageant.

The protest organisers, Africa 4 Palestine say Israel is an apartheid state and they want the company that owns Miss South Africa to boycott the event.

“We, therefore, call on the company and its CEO to withdraw from this because it’s a real insult in the face of our history and an insult to the people of South Africa. Miss Well and Nine Square which owns Miss South Africa does not represent us. They are not going to go to Israel representing the people of South Africa. They no longer have the legitimacy because our government and people have added their voices saying we do not accept that apartheid Israel get to host our Miss South Africa.,” an Africa 4 Palestine representative explains.

In a statement released a week ago, Miss South Africa organisers said that a very small but extremely vocal group was attempting to, and failed to derail Mswane’s chances at the prestigious international pageant.

https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/twenty-organisations-call-for-boycott-of-miss-universe-pageant/