A 23-YEAR-OLD Nigerian-South African beauty queen, Chidimma Vannesa Onwe Adetshina has withdrawn from the Miss South Africa ( Miss SA) pageant after a series of xenophobic attacks.
Adetshina has faced backlash after making it to the top 16 at the ongoing pageant.
In a statement on her Instagram page, the beauty queen appreciated all the people who supported her during her Miss South Africa journey.
“After much careful consideration, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw myself from the competition for the safety and well-being of my family and, with the support of the Miss South Africa Organisation, I leave with a heart full of gratitude for this amazing experience.
“I would like to take this opportunity to wish my fellow finalists all of the best for the remainder of the competition,” she posted.
Earlier on Wednesday, August 7, the South Africa Department of Home Affairs in a statement signed by spokesperson for Minister Duwayne Esau claimed that Adetshina’s mother illegally obtained South African citizenship.
According to the department, the investigation into Adetshina’s matter was due to a request received from the organisers of Miss SA.
“From the information we have uncovered thus far, the Department of Home Affairs can indicate that: Prima facie reasons exist to believe that fraud and identity theft may have been committed by the person recorded in Home Affairs records as Chidimma Adetshina’s mother,” the department stated.
According to the statement, the department said Adetshina could not have participated in the alleged unlawful action of her mother, as she was an infant at the time the crime was allegedly committed in 2001.
The ministry added that “Innocent South African mother”, whose identity might have been stolen as part of the alleged fraud committed by Adetshina’s mother, suffered as a result because she could not register her child.
Adetshina was born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and a South African mother.
She has been targeted by some South Africans who claim she is not South African by birth.
According to a South African Vlogger, some South Africans are displeased that Adetshina made the top 16 in the pageant, adding that Nigerians in South Africa are known to engage in questionable jobs.
Responding to the trolls, the beauty queen said in various interviews that she is a South African and qualified to compete at the pageant.
“I am a South African citizen and I have met all the requirements to be a part of the Miss SA competition. The fact that my father is Nigerian does not take away from the fact that I am South African. My mother is South African, and I was born and raised in this country,” she said.
Also clearing the air on the issue, the Miss SA organisation, in a statement confirmed that Adetshina met all the requirements to participate in the pageant.
According to the Miss SA organisation, to be eligible to contest for the pageant, the contestant must be a South African citizen and possess a valid ID or passport. If the contestant holds dual citizenship, documents relating to both must be made available.
Also, as stated in the amended South African Citizenship Act, citizenship can be acquired by birth, descent, or naturalisation.
While most South Africans are against the Miss SA organisation allowing Adetshina to continue with the competition, in 2001, Vanessa Carreira, born to Portuguese-Angolan parents in South Africa won the Miss South Africa title.
The ICIR reports that South Africans have had several xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other Africans over the past years, and the Nigerian government has yet to react to Adetshina’s case as of the time of filing this report.
A reporter with the ICIR
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