Not Miss SA? Pageant addresses claims beauty queens are not from SA amid calls for boycott

Miss South Africa (Miss SA) has addressed claims that some of the ladies in this year’s Top 30 are not South African.

This follows complaints from social media users who alleged that some of the contestants, including Palesa Lombard, Felicia Bajomo, Sherry Wang, and Chidimma Adetshina, are not from Mzansi.

One user wrote: “Apparently they’re our ‘Miss South Africa’ candidates! Our national identity as South Africans is under siege. From China, Eastern Europeans, Zimbabweans, and Nigerians! #BoycottMissSA.”

“Deserving South African candidates did not even make it to the Top 100. Surely, brown envelopes have been doing the rounds. #BoycottMissSA,” alleged another.

The organisation told The Citizen that all the Miss South Africa Top 30 contestants met the eligibility requirements.

“The Miss South Africa 2024 eligibility requirements state that an applicant must be a South African citizen and in possession of a valid South African ID document or passport.

“If the applicant holds dual citizenship, they must provide details of both. All the Miss South Africa Top 30 contestants met these requirements.” the organisation added.

ALSO READ: Meet the top 30 stunning contenders for Miss South Africa 2024

Other Miss SA eligibility requirements

Other Miss SA eligibility requirements state that the applicant must not have been a finalist in the previous year, a runner-up in the past two years, or a previous Miss South Africa titleholder.

Additionally, the applicant must have no criminal record and be truthful about all aspects related to the competition.

“There are no restrictions on marital or parental status, tattoos, or piercings. The applicant is not required to have a valid driver’s licence.

“However, if the applicant makes it through as a finalist, they may be expected to have taken steps to attain their driver’s licence by the time of the final pageant event (August 2024) due to sponsor requirements,” according to the Miss SA website.

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