
Former Miss South Africa 2021, Lalela Mswane opens up about how cyberbullying almost pushed her to the brink of suicide.
This follows Lalela representing the country at the Miss Universe pageant in Israel, which saw the 26-year old beauty receiving mass public scrutiny.
Speaking for the first time about how her “job” as Miss SA took a toll on her mental health at the time, Lalela says she reached a point where she just couldn’t handle it anymore.
In an interview with Anika Larsen on eTV’s My Guest Tonight, Lalela opens up about her suicidal thoughts, being bullied in school, and where she is in life right now.
“So, I win Miss SA, and prior to winning, it was announced by the organisation, that whoever wins, is going to Miss Universe in Israel.
I didn’t pick the location, this was known prior, it just happened to be that I won.
As an organisation (Miss SA), we decided to proceed, and I said, regardless of where Miss Universe was going to be held, I would be going.
It’s a competition, it’s part of the job as Miss SA. The decision was a joint decision, it was a very informed decision. I do feel like it could have been handled in a more sensitive manner.
I was very silent at the time because I felt like if I said something, I was going to be criticized anyway.”
Lalela and Miss SA were heavily criticized for failing to consider the ongoing genocide between Israel and Palestine.
With many pro-Palestine movements slamming Lalela for going to Israel, the cyberbullying took a toll on her and she contemplated ending her life, because it was that bad.
If it wasn’t for her mom, partner and her niece, Lalela says she would have probably let people who know nothing about her, push her to taking her own life.
“A part of me felt like I had no more fight left in me, to counter what was being said about me, what people had concluded about me.
At a point, I actually wanted to die by suicide, because I absolutely got to a point where I couldn’t handle it. I was like, I will jump and die, fall to my death, all because of people who don’t know me?”
Lalela says people don’t realize the toll the Miss Universe ordeal took on her.
WATCH: Former Miss SA, Lalela Mswane open up about wanting to kill herself
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