EFF calls on Miss SA Lalela Mswane to boycott Miss Universe pageant in Israel

The EFF is the latest organisation to call on Miss SA Lalela Mswane to boycott the Miss Universe pageant in Israel next month.

The party on Wednesday urged Mswane to “stand with the oppressed” and affirm the “beauty of Palestine” by refusing to participate in the event.

“No South African whose liberation came through the international boycott of Afrikaner apartheid by peoples of the world should ever negotiate to boycott Israel,” the party said.

Mandla Mandela, the grandson of the late former president Nelson Mandela. also issued a statement calling for Mswane to boycott the event.

However, the Miss SA organisation stood its ground on Tuesday, saying Mswane would participate in the pageant, and distanced itself from what it called a "political war of words" online.

“Anyone who wants to rob Mswane of her moment in the spotlight is unkind and short-sighted. She is a shining beacon for young women everywhere, showing them that being beautiful while being clever and educated is very possible.

“We are not a political organisation and the Miss Universe pageant is not a politically inspired event,” said the organisation.