Miss South Africa's Voice Will Not Be Silenced
South Africa’s vexatious relationship with Israel once again finds itself in the headlines. The point, or rather a person, of contention? The beautiful and newly crowned Miss South Africa 2021, Lalela Mswane.
Lalela has found herself in the eye of a political, social, and cultural storm for refusing to boycott the Miss Universe Contest to be held in Eilat, Israel on December 12, 2021. A few days ago, the South African government, led by the African National Congress (ANC) added its voice to the calls for Lalela to boycott the competition, drawing the displeasure of many in the pro-Israel space.
It must be noted that the ANC garnered a mere 46% of the electorate vote in South Africa’s recent local government elections, the lowest count since it came into power following the end of apartheid 27 years ago. This is striking evidence of South Africans’ dissatisfaction with the ruling party. Flagrant corruption, rolling power blackouts, poor delivery of the most basic of services—water, education, and healthcare topping the list—and a record formal unemployment rate of 34.4%, are the fruits of the ANC’s leadership. Despite this recent indictment, the ANC-led government still thought itself worthy enough to withdraw its support of Lalela as she competes against 79 other contestants for the coveted crown of Miss Universe.
Oh, the illusions of grandiosity.
In a statement issued by the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture, the ANC-led government stated that as “the legitimate representative of the people of South Africa, [it] could not in good conscience associate itself with the atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians.” This is the same department under whose umbrella South Africa’s international sporting efforts are, bar a few exceptions, an absolute embarrassment. It is the same department that earned the ire of South Africans when it was communicated that 2021 Tokyo Olympian medalists would not receive incentive bonuses for their performances. But I digress.
All the main polls conducted in South Africa since the unfolding of this drama, have exposed the ANC’s phantasm of representing what South Africans believe. The results show that ordinary South Africans believe Lelala should attend the Miss Universe pageant and support her right to do so. Just as South African radio personality DJ Warras succinctly articulated, “Miss SA and organizers must not be bullied into taking sides in 100-year conflicts. She has earned her crown and has a right to live her dream and compete for Miss Universe! This nonsense that we have to take sides in conflicts that have nothing to do with us.”
So why the displeasure that Lelala does not have the support of the South African government? Should her continued participation be seen as illegitimate because she does not enjoy the support of a government that has been and continues to be silent in the face of varying atrocities? I submit that our answer should be a resounding “no!” We dare not forget the ANC’s failure to condemn the human rights abuses that took place in neighboring Zimbabwe under the rule of former President Robert Mugabe. Or what of the ANC’s deafening silence on the genocide of Christians in Nigeria, or of the plight of the over 1.5 million Africans in slavery in at least five African countries today?
What should we make of the ANC’s decision to join the chorus of anti-Israel voices over a beauty pageant? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The ANC long ago resigned itself as a moral, meaningful, and relevant player on the international stage on issues of human rights and peace.
The idea that the ANC, together with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Palestinian Solidarity Alliance, and Africa4Palestine, all organizations who are part of the “boycott apartheid Israel” choir, is concerned with the well-being of the Palestinian people is a myth. Where was this choir in 2019 when Mohammed Safi (then 27 years old) lost his eyesight while being held in prison by Hamas, the ruling authority in Gaza? Mohammed’s crime was to participate with thousands of Palestinians in protests themed “We Want to Live!”. These demonstrations called for the Palestinian leadership to end the economic crisis in Gaza – a direct result of the corrupt, repressive, and brutal dictatorship of Hamas. Instead of hearing the cries of the Palestinian people, condemning Hamas, and demanding change, the ANC has given this terrorist organization red carpet treatment on multiple occasions.
Where were the demonstrations by this choir in 2021 when Hamas sentenced two men to death for allegedly collaborating with Israel, or when the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank sentenced a Palestinian man to prison for 15 years for attempting to sell land to Jews? The choir was silent. Where was the outrage a few months ago when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who having been elected in 2005 is currently serving the 16th year of a four-year presidential term, called off the elections in the West Bank thereby again denying the Palestinian people their right to vote. Again, silence and inaction on behalf of the Palestinian people.
The ANC, EFF, Palestinian Solidarity Alliance, Africa4Palestine, and the like must be called what they repeatedly show themselves to be when it comes to Israel and by implication, the Jewish people – Jew-haters. Plain and simple.
There is no apartheid in Israel. There is no genocide or ethnic cleansing against any people in Israel or the Palestinian Territories. Israel is not a colonizer, settler state nor has she ever been one. Those who believe these lies about Israel without having done their own, independent research into the layered complexities that define the Middle East conflict are allowing themselves to be used as pawns in a game that is not about the liberation of the Palestinian people but rather the destruction of the only Jewish state in the world.
The bullying of Miss South Africa is nothing new. The dust has only just settled from former Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng who was taken to task by the same choir for stating that he, in accordance with the tenants of his faith, loved Israel and prayed for the peace of Jerusalem. My prayer for Miss South Africa is that she remains resolute despite the attention-seeking bullies who are throwing a tantrum because a young black woman would dare to stand up for herself and use her voice on an international platform to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate.
The pro-Israel space can ill afford to find itself caught off-guard at antisemitic eruptions as is happening in South Africa, and as happened across the world following the Gaza-Israel war in May 2021. These eruptions are in large part made possible by the “Israel is a genocidal, apartheid state” libel, a libel that is at the core of the Boycott Divest Sanctions movement (BDS). It is only when there is a proper understanding of the history of apartheid South Africa and an appreciation of general African history, especially the continent’s 3,000-year-old friendship with Israel, that BDS will be defeated. That is why organizations like the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel (IBSI) and DEISI International exist and will succeed in their missions. That is why IBSI’s PEACE Initiative must be supported.
But, that is an article for another day.