Johannesburg-Sana
The South African government announced that it withdrew support for the current Miss Country, Laila Mswani, due to the adherence of those in charge of her activities to her participation in the Miss Universe competition, which will be hosted by the Israeli occupation entity next month.
"The difficulty of convincing the organizers of the Miss South Africa contest to reconsider their decision to participate in the Miss Universe contest prompted the government to announce the withdrawal of its support," the South African Ministry of Arts and Culture said in a statement carried by AFP today.
The ministry added, "The atrocities committed by (Israel) against the Palestinians are well documented, and the government, as the legitimate representative of the people of South Africa, cannot associate itself with that with a clear conscience."
In turn, the South African Minister of Culture warned that "the organizers' clinging to their position may lead to disastrous consequences for the future of Lalila Mswani and her general position as a young black woman."
The country's ruling African National Congress urged the contest's organizers to "heed the overwhelming call for a boycott of the next edition of the contest in (Israel), where the apartheid regime prevails."
South Africa supports the Palestinian cause and reduced its diplomatic representation to the Israeli occupation entity in 2019 and withdrew its ambassador.