Lalela Mswane Takes Third Place at Miss Universe Pageant

Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane, has finished as second runner-up at the 70th Miss Universe pageant.

The event, which took place this morning, 13 December, at the Universe Dome in Eilat, Israel, saw Harnaaz Sandhu of India ultimately being crowned Miss Universe. Miss Paraguay, Nadia Ferreira, was first runner-up.

During her final speech, Mswane sent an encouraging message to young women about “Choosing courage over comfort.”

She said: “I would like young women to know that since the beginning of time they have had everything within them to achieve anything they wanted. It is the world that [is] convinced we do not.”

After the crowning, Mswane remarked: “I am overwhelmed to have made it into the top three of the competition. The whole experience has been beyond my wildest expectations. Congratulations to Harnaaz and Nadia and all the other contestants who made this journey so special.”

On social media, South Africans applauded their queen, with one tweep writing: “She’s such an inspiration. Through the hate, noise and toxicity of social media and the ANC government, she stood firm and persevered. She used the platform to advance a message of peace and unity. That’s REAL activism!”

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