Chidimma Adetshina, the beauty queen of South Africa, is having a citizenship problem. The 23-year-old law student, who rose to fame as a Miss South Africa finalist, has come under scrutiny for her nationality. Given her Nigerian and Mozambican ancestry, there have been concerns expressed regarding her eligibility to represent South Africa.
Concerns have been raised over the legitimacy of Adetshina’s South African citizenship due to allegations of identity theft against her mother. She was forced to leave the Miss South Africa contest due to the issue, stating that she was worried about her family’s safety.
According to the BBC, the Department of Home Affairs began investigating her case after she became a finalist in the Miss South Africa pageant but faced criticism as people questioned her eligibility to compete because her mother has Mozambican roots and her father is Nigerian.
The controversy sparked a wave of xenophobic vitriol in South Africa, after which Ms Adetshina told the BBC she would need therapy to recover. The Department of Home Affairs made the announcement about the withdrawal of her ID papers to a parliamentary committee on Tuesday.
Tommy Makhode, the top civil servant at the department, said Ms Adetshina’s mother would also have her documents cancelled as they had both failed to meet Monday’s deadline to provide reasons why they should be eligible to keep them.
Adetshina, who has not lived in Nigeria for two decades, received an invitation to represent Nigeria in the Miss Universe competition despite the controversy. This unexpected turn of events has further complicated her situation.
