Mother of finalist says Miss SA contest was rigged
South Africa | 1 April 2017
Johannesburg - The Miss South Africa crown was unfairly guaranteed to the eventual winner, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, a mother of one of the finalists alleges. “This reflects as pure and utter favouritism,” the woman said, on condition of anonymity.
The pageant’s finalists called a meeting with event organisers about a month before the winner was announced to lay allegations that the event was rigged. “In that meeting they relayed their concerns and their fears,” she said.
A number of the contestants asked for the meeting after suspicions mounted of a plan to guarantee the election of Nel-Peters.
Ade van Heerden, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters and Boipelo Mabe celebrate at the crowning of Miss South Africa 2017. Picture: Yolanda van der Stoep
Claudia Henkel, the PR manager of Miss South Africa, confirmed the meeting happened but called any allegations of an improper election “unfounded.
“The committee held this meeting in the presence of the main sponsors and the auditors. The committee addressed these matters in detail and the contestants confirmed that they were satisfied with the resolution,” she said.
The contestant’s mother said her daughter and other participants began to suspect a plot when the organisers, Sun International, allegedly included a stop at Nel-Peters’ charity event on the contestants’ itinerary.
Participants had previously agreed to attend only Sun International events as a group to avoid giving any individual an advantage, the woman said.
In the final round of judging, the finalists were asked pointed questions about topics such as the meeting, the contestant’s mother alleged.
“I really wished (the judges) stuck to their mandate. Wouldn’t it be nice if they stuck to asking her the ‘100 ways she’d like to change the world’ questions?”
www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/mother-of-finalist-says-miss-sa-contest-was-rigged-8447835
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