Miss South Africa contestant, Chidimma Onwe Adetshina, of purported Nigerian descent, has thrown in the towel after many, including cabinet ministers, questioned her credentials because of her Nigerian descent.
The 23-year-old’s Nigerian heritage sparked a national controversy, with many on social media subjecting her to vile xenophobic attacks, while insisting that she cannot represent South Africa.
Adetshina’s announcement that she would not take part in Saturday’s final came a day after the Home Affairs ministry accused her mother of fraud and identity theft.
She posted on Instagram: “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 I”. She thanked everyone who stood beside her right from the start of her Miss South Africa journey. “I am really grateful for all the love and support I have been shown,” she wrote.
Chidinma previously told local media she was born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and a South African mother of Mozambican descent.
The outrage over her participation led to an investigation into her citizenship following a request from the pageant’s organisers.
On Wednesday, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber, said the investigation uncovered “prima facie indications” that Adetshina’s mother might have committed fraud and stolen the identity of a South African woman.
The ministry said it was obtaining legal advice on the implications of this on the citizenship of Adetshina. Chidinma was an infant at the time of the alleged fraud.
South Africa grants citizenship by birth to anyone born in the country after 1995 to a South African parent, or permanent resident.
Adetshina’s participation in the pageant stoked anti-foreigner sentiment in the nation. It has witnessed violence and, at times, deadly attacks on immigrants in the past.
Politicians, celebrities and ordinary citizens weighed in on the debate. While many came to her defence, others argued she should be disqualified.
