Miss Universe boycott ‘pointless’ while govt still does business with Israel

As the boycott of Miss Universe pageant in Israel gains traction, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture’s withdrawal of support from the event is a hollow gesture, considering government itself is nowhere near cutting ties with Israel – instead their posturing can be seen as an attempt to rob a young woman of an international opportunity.

The department has turned its back on newly-crowned Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane for intending to partake in the Miss Universe contest in Israel next month. Sport, arts and culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa said on Sunday that they would not be supporting the contest due to the “atrocities” committed by Israel on the Palestinians.

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The decision was welcomed by the ruling party and other organisations, including the South African Students Congress (SASCO), with the latter saying the pageant was used by Israel to “whitewash its continued violations of Palestinian human rights”.

“It is therefore legally and morally justified to call for boycotts against the Apartheid state of Israel, just as the South African anti-apartheid movement mobilised the international community to isolate South Africa because of its policy of apartheid,” said SASCO president Bamanye Matiwane.

According to a flyer doing the rounds, a demonstration by various organisations including SASCO, ANC, EFF and other student movements will take place on Friday outside the Miss SA headquarters in Johannesburg.

But despite all of the anti-Israel posturing, South Africa has no intention of suspending any diplomatic relationships with Israel – something which Department of International Relations and Cooperation spokesperson Clayson Monyela strongly emphasised. 

He said Mthethwa’s announcement simply reflected government’s stance on the matter falling under his portfolio, but did not indicate any intentions of cutting ties with Israel.

Monyela said this would put South Africa in a position to engage in dialogue with both Israel and Palestine, which the country had diplomatic relationships with.

“We have diplomatic relations with both Israel and Palestine. What has happened with Miss South Africa cannot even be anywhere close to cutting diplomatic ties. We can’t do that because if we do that, it means we can’t engage Israel so are excluding ourselves from being part of the solution to the conflict, because if you cut ties with a country, they don’t have to engage with you,” said Monyela.

Arts and culture often used to fight for human rights

Political analyst Professor Barry Hanyane says events such as beauty pageants and sporting events are often politicised and used as a form of protest, just like during apartheid.

“Sports was also used to fight apartheid. Functions… and isolation of South Africa were also used to fight apartheid. All these areas unfortunately are subjected to a certain degree of politicisation which in turn would yield an undesirable result in certain quarters of society.”

Since South Africa and Palestine have a common past and Palestinians are seen as victims equivalent to victims of apartheid,  this forms an element of solidarity with the Palestinian people. South Africa is having a reactionary response, given the history of the country, said Hanyane. 

“We now understand that politics can be used in other areas of human endeavour to achieve certain interests… This is raw politics at its best, which is allowed to influence outcomes in a particular human space and that is the beauty pageant,” Hanyane said.

Israel is not apartheid SA, says Jewish Board

It is false to expect such boycotts to bring about the same success as sanctions in South Africa did during apartheid, said chair of the Gauteng region of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies Karen Milner.

“I think what happened was that the Minister’s statement, to be honest, was really trite. It was a statement which was saying that ‘we are going to boycott this event’. There is no real understanding of the complexities of how it differs and how it is the same in South Africa.

“The department itself has to take no risk in making that kind of statement. They aren’t losing anything in making that statement, and I would argue they equally are not gaining anything by making that statement. But they are asking [Mswane] to lose something for what is effectively an opportunity to have a say.”

“This isn’t going to change the situation in the Middle East. This is nowhere equivalent to the kinds of sanctions brought down on South Africa, because SA was a rogue state and acknowledged as such, and apartheid is a crime against humanity. I am not saying there aren’t problems in the Middle East but they are not the same. It’s a different conflict and it needs a different solution,” said Milner.

ALSO READ: ‘We’re not a political organisation’: Defiant Miss SA body says Lalela Mswane will go to Israel

Miss SA CEO Stephanie Weil did not respond to attempts for comment, but had said on radio last week that SA boycotting the event would not make a substantial difference, as 70 other countries would still be attending the event.

Sport, Arts and Culture spokesperson Masechaba Khumalo said they would not be giving Mswane moral support, despite her being seen as an ambassador for the country.

“The department of sports, arts and culture, as this falls within our portfolio, have always provided moral support to Miss SA as an ambassador to the country. We are essentially her patrons in reign. We are disaligning and distancing ourselves from a Miss SA who will partake in an event in what is essentially an apartheid state.

“As a democratic nation we stand for the rights of all humans and this is the position the department has firmly taken.”

rorisangk@citizen.co.za