Chidimma Adetshina, a 2024 Miss South Africa pageant finalist, has faced scrutiny and backlash over her Nigerian heritage, The South African Times reports.
The controversy surrounding Ms Adetshina began shortly after she entered the beauty pageant. The 23-year-old model from Soweto, South Africa, who advanced to the Top 30 Miss SA competition, became the frontline of the country’s xenophobia debate and national identity.
Born in South Africa to a Nigerian father (Igbo) and a Mozambique mother, now naturalised South African, Ms Adetshina’s participation in the pageant has been met with both support and harsh criticism, shedding light on the country’s deep-seated history of xenophobic violence and discrimination, particularly towards African immigrants.
In an interview with Soweto SMag, she said that despite her South African birth and upbringing at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, her Nigerian heritage has led some to challenge her eligibility to represent South Africa on such a prominent stage.
Adetshina terms the criticism as “black-on-black hate”, expressing her frustration at the backlash and attributing much of it to xenophobia. “I feel all of this is black-on-black hate, as I’m not the only one in this competition who has a surname that’s not South African. I feel the attention is on me because of my skin colour, which I think is a disadvantage; it’s also been something I had to overcome growing up,” said the 23-year-old model.
Despite the challenges, Ms Adetshina stated that she remains determined to succeed and to bring about positive change. “I’ve dreamed of being Miss SA since 2017, and here I am, achieving that goal. To me, being a finalist is as if I’m rewriting my mother’s dream of becoming a model. Her father didn’t allow her to do anything related to modelling, so I feel like I’m living her life, which feels like a beautiful dream come true.”
The Miss SA organisation has supported Adetshina, stating that citizenship, regardless of origin, is the primary requirement. This correlates with the revised South African Citizenship Act, which acknowledges birth, descent, and naturalisation as valid routes to citizenship.
Prominent figures and organisations, including the President of the Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa (NICASA), have spoken out in Adetshina’s defence, calling for an end to xenophobia and greater acceptance of all South Africans, regardless of their heritage.
The Miss SA 2024 competition, set for 10th of August at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, will see the winner succeed Natasha Joubert of Gauteng, the 2023 titleholder. The winner will represent South Africa at the Miss Universe 2024 pageant in Mexico.
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