SOUTH Africans protested outside the Miss South Africa (SA) beauty pageant organisers’ offices yesterday because of the latter’s insentience to participate in Miss Universe in Israel next month.

“We are protesting due to the fact that the Miss SA organisation refuses to withdraw Lalela Mswane from the show and boycott it,” said Noor Ahmad of the Palestine Solidarity Alliance Youth League, reported Anadolu Agency.

The South African government had announced that it is withdrawing support for Mswane due to her decision to take part in the pageant.

SA opposes Israel’s occupation of Palestine and it cannot in good conscience associate itself with the show on December 12.

“The aim of the protest is to keep applying pressure on the Miss SA organisation to boycott the pageant,” said Noor.

“Mswane has not left SA for Israel yet, so there is still time for her to withdraw and the organisation to boycott the pageant.”

She said South Africans need to support the call for art, academic and cultural boycotts, among others, against Israel as part of international solidarity to defeat the occupation.

The protest is endorsed and supported by several civil society organisations in SA.

Chief Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela, grandson of the late Nelson Mandela, reminded South Africans that international solidarity movements had helped SA in its struggle against apartheid.

“We are calling on our government to withdraw the SA name from being used at the upcoming pageant in Israel,” Mandela, who is an MP for the ruling African National Congress, told reporters at the protest.

The SA name should not be associated with the pageant and its flag should not be flown at the show, he added.

Mandela reminded his country of the Palestinian support in all its forms during their struggle against apartheid, and that South Africa now has a duty to stand with them as they face brutal oppression under Israel. – Bernama, November 20, 2021.