“The Lack of Accountabiliy, Sis!”: South Africans Critical of Miss SA Top 12 Dropout Levern Jose’s Apology and Withdrawal
Only several weeks since the official announcement of this year’s Miss South Africa Top 12, the country’s leading beauty pageant has been dragged into yet another scandal as one of the contestants, Levern José, has been outed as a bully by past students who attended school with her.
As a result, the twenty-three-year-old pulled out of the contest and issued a statement via the Miss SA Organisation.
“As a survivor of bullying, I learned how to protect myself from bullying during my school years. If my actions in protecting myself caused harm to anyone, I offer my sincere apologies. The pain of being a target has left an indelible mark on my heart, and I would never intentionally cause hurt or contribute to someone else’s suffering,” she said.
However, in as much as she has issued a statement and an apology, people on social media were divided on the nature of the apology, questioning her sincerity and accountability.
Tweeting from @buhlemavvv, one user said, “It’s her acting as if she is the victim, narcissistic, gaslighting manipulative behavior if you ask me even her apology sucks i mean like how can you start an apology with an “If”, it is not sincere at all.[SIC]”
Another user, @QueenOleanderQO, commented on the quality of her apology, calling into question the statement with a screenshot, “Is she not acting as a victim on this other side? The lack of accountability sis!”
@_Makhanya_ expressed that the apology could’ve gone a long way had it been to the individuals, “Now that Levern ‘Donatella’ José has withdrew from from running for Miss SA following allegations of bullying, she must also apologise to each and every single victim that she bullied.”
As things stand, the Miss SA Organisation has not added one of the longlisted contestants to bring the list back to the Top 12. The spectacle is still set the crown the new Miss SA on August 13, 2023 at the SunBet Arena at Time Square, Pretoria.
