Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane Rubs the Haters Noses in It
David Lange
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Following constant harassment from antisemites and also intense pressure from her own anti-Israel government to boycott Israel, Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane has not just stood firmly against it, but even lavished high praise on Israelis and revealed just how much she wanted to come here
“If I had not come to Israel to compete in the Miss Universe pageant, I think I would have regretted it for the rest of my life,” said Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane, who defied the South African government that pressured her to boycott the contest, because it is being held in Israel.
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“My soul would not have been at peace if I had skipped it,” said Mswane, a law school graduate, model and dancer. A devout Catholic, she said that she was moved when she visited the Old City of Jerusalem with the other contestants, especially the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where she felt “calmness and a sense of renewal.”
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“Certain people have put me through hell and back,” she admitted. “It has not been the easiest thing to deal with. But I choose to be optimistic.”
Her religious faith has helped. “The way everything unfolded reminded me of His greatness and why I’m here.
”She was enthusiastic about the friendliness of Israelis she had met: “I always thought South Africa has the friendliest people on earth but it might be rivaled by Israel.”
Whatever happens in the contest itself, Lalela Mswane is already a winner in my books.
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David Lange
