Sizwe Sibiya
In high spirits, Miss South Africa 2021 Lalela Mswane has shared pictures of her arriving in Israel for the 70th annual Miss Universe pageant.
“Ready as I’ll ever be! I’m so grateful for this opportunity to represent my country on the @missuniverse stage,” Mswane captioned her first picture.
Holding a flag of South Africa, Mswane managed to land in Israel while authorities were still deciding on closing their borders in light of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 which was first discovered in SA last week.
Israel had already banned travel from a number of African countries including SA after positive cases surged following the discovery.
Mswane has been called brave by adoring fans on social media for ignoring all the calls to boycott the prestigious pageant.
The government had previously led calls to protest the event in view of the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government has imposed a temporary ban on all international travellers entering the country “to monitor the new variant,” as reported by Israeli local news. The ban will last for two weeks, beginning at midnight on Sunday.
The 70th Miss Universe pageant risks postponement, depending on how quickly the new variant spreads across the globe. It is currently set to take place on 13 December in Eilat, a well-known vacation city in the south of Israel.
Image source: Instagram
