Miss SA Top 12 contestant withdraws amid bullying allegations
Finalist Levern 'Donatella' José has released a statement to address the serious allegations made against her.
Miss SA 2023 has recently announced its top 12 finalists, but the pageant has now announced that one of the contestants has decided to exit the competition.
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The news comes after finalist Levern José released an official statement addressing the bullying allegations that have been made against her.
Schoolmates of José took to social media to share how she used to be a bully, and she has since decided to remove herself from the running for the title of Miss SA 2023.
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In her statement, which has been shared on the official Miss SA Instagram page, she says that she is a survivor of bullying and through this, she learned to protect herself from it, although she recognises that her why of dealing with it might have caused harm to others.
She continues by apologising to anyone she might have hurt through her actions.
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Miss SA has also supported José by providing her with counselling through their mental health partner, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG).
According to News24, who spoke to the organisation and its CEO, Stephanie Weil, they had "no comment to make" about the bullying accusations against the 23-year-old.
You can read Lerven José and Miss SA's full statement about the incident below:
José is not the first contestant in Miss SA's history who has had to withdraw.
In 2020, Bianca Schoombee withdrew after old racist and crude tweets she had posted resurfaced.
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Main image courtesy of Miss SA