Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane has been crowned Miss Universe second runner up.
Mswane (24) went to Israel to represent South Africa on the international stage without the support of her government.
The Department of Arts, Culture and Sports confirmed that it wouldn’t be rallying behind Mswane over the fact that the pageant was held in Israel.
There were calls from various organisations for countries to boycott the international pageant in Israel because of the Israel-Palestine conflict and as a way to show solidarity with Palestinians the way they did with oppressed South Africans during apartheid.
She wore a white outfit on stage representing “the dove of peace”, which she describes as the culture of South Africa – the spirit of Ubuntu – a nation that has shown that lasting peace can be achieved.
