Newly crowned Miss SA Lalela Mswane will contest in the the Miss Universe pageant in Israel despite backlash from a civil society group calling the beauty to pull out of the event.
Mswane, 24, who was crowned in October, was called to pull out of the event because it is occurring in a country that has been accused of apartheid-like human rights crimes against the Palestinian people.
According to reports by Almayadeen, Miss Malaysia and Indonesia have pulled out of the pageant which is expected to take place in December.
This week, the Miss SA winner came under fire, with pro-Palestine supporters urging the 24-year-old not to attend the Miss Universe pageant.
Grandson of former late president Nelson Mandela, Mandla Mandela, also called for a boycott, saying Mswane should not attend the ceremony in Israel “in protest at the occupation and the cruel treatment of Palestinians at the hands of the apartheid Israel regime”.
