As Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane will represent her country at the Miss Universe competition to be held for the first time in the southern Israeli resort city of Eilat on Dec. 12.
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Mswane has come under immense pressure to boycott the event from anti-Israel activists from her home country and online, including under a trending hashtag of #notmymisssa. She appears poised to participate in the international event nonetheless despite the criticism.
On Instagram, the Johannesburg-based Palestine Solidarity Alliance lamented that "after weeks of trying to engage with @lalela_mswane with an intention of educating her with regards to the plight of the Palestinian people she had decided to block both the @psa_sa and the @psa_yl account.
"It is clear now that Miss SA does not care about the plight of the Palestinians and is only worried about her own self gains. With this said Comrades IT IS TIME TO FIGHT HARDER, TIME TO MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD, TIME TO MAKE OUR PRESENCE FELT, TIME TO ENSURE lalela lali A SO SELF PROCLAIMED 'Advocate of Children Empowerment' DOES NOT REPRESENT SOUTH AFRICA AS IS SHE IS CLEARLY NOT A REPRESENTATION OF OUR BELOVED COUNTRY!!!!"
The Miss South Africa organization, which also came under attack, told South African podcast producer TshisaLIVE it was "not getting involved in a political war of words and looks forward to watching Miss SA make the country proud on an international stage."
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