Lalela

Lalela Mswane thanks South Africa for their support. Image via Instagram @lalela_mswane.

‘Ngiyabonga South Africa’: Did Lalela just thank Mzansi for their ‘support’?

Lalela Mswane thanks Mzansi for their ‘overwhelming love and support’ as she gears up for the Miss Universe pageant on 12 December.

Lalela

Lalela Mswane thanks South Africa for their support. Image via Instagram @lalela_mswane.

Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane has thanked Mzansi for the “overwhelming love and support” via an Instagram post on 1 December, despite the government withdrawing their support and Tweeps asking her to boycott the pageant. 

LALELA: ‘NGIYABONGA SOUTH AFRICA’

Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane expressed her deepest gratitude to South Africa after she arrived in Israel for the Miss Universe pageant. Lalela is grateful, despite Mzansi claiming they would not be voting for her because they did not approve of her competing at the pageant. 

“From South Africa to the Universe ????. I’d just like to express my deepest gratitude for the overwhelming love I’ve received this week. Thank you all so much for embracing me so warmly and making my journey one that’s incredibly special,” she wrote on Instagram.

“Ngiyabonga South Africa????. This is a little BTS magic from my first shoot as Miss South Africa✨,” she continued.

ALSO READ: ‘The universe doesn’t want Lalela there’: Israel bans travel from SA

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MISS UNIVERSE DRAMA 

Lalela’s short reign since she has been crowned as Miss SA on 16 October has been marred by controversy. After she was announced as the winner of the pageant, the hosts revealed she would be competing at the Miss Universe pageant. Miss Universe will be held in Israel this year and because of this, Lalela was asked to boycott the pageant. Israel is described as an “apartheid state” due to their treatment of Palestinians. 

The South African government later withdrew support for Lalela to represent the country in Israel on 12 December. However, the 24-year-old was persistent and announced that she will still be participating. 

“It is with so much gratitude that I prepare to represent my beautiful South Africa at the 70th Miss Universe competition,” she wrote on Instagram. 

“Being Miss South Africa is not only an honour but also a huge responsibility and I am determined to serve our country proudly in the best way that I can,” she continued.

After the new COVID-19 variant – Omicron was detected in South Africa on 25 November, Lalela was expected to drop out of the pageant but she was granted a travel waiver. 

ALSO READ: Miss Universe France tests positive for COVID-19 in Israel