This Beauty Queen Who Quit Miss South Africa Due To Controversy About Her Nationality Will Now Compete In Miss Nigeria
23-year-old Chidimma Adetshina was born in South Africa to a father from Nigeria and a mother from Mozambique.
This beauty queen who quit Miss South Africa due to a controversy about her nationality will now compete in Miss Universe Nigeria.
23-year-old Chidimma Adetshina was born in South Africa to a father from Nigeria and a mother from Mozambique.
When she began participating in Miss South Africa, people started to attack her for her nationality and questioned whether she was eligible.
And petitions to remove her from the beauty pageant garnered more than 14,000 signatures.
A discriminatory petition for the disqualification of Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina from Miss South Africa has been DELETED by the platform.
— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) July 30, 2024
Over 14,000 people signed the now deleted petition on Change Org. pic.twitter.com/1bIZo4y9rM
Faced with pressure, the organizers of Miss South Africa requested the government to look into Adetshina's citizenship.
The government then released a statement on Aug. 7, saying that it found Adetshina's mother may have committed identity fraud to obtain South African nationality in 2001.
The government said that it will continue its investigation as an innocent South African mother may have not being able to register her child due to Adetshina's mother allegedly stealing her identity.
The government said that Adetshina could not have participated in her mother's actions as she was just an infant at the time.
On Aug. 8, Adetshina, who had become a finalist for Miss South Africa, released a statement stating that she was withdrawing “for the safety and well-being of her family.”
A day later, Miss Universe Nigeria published a public letter to Adetshina, saying they had “been closely following the developments” and formally invited her to “represent her father’s native land.”
On Aug. 14, Adetshina announced that she had accepted the invitation and was looking forward to participating in what she called "Africa's most prestigious beauty pageant."
If Adetshina wins Miss Nigeria, she will compete against Mia Le Roux, who was crowned Miss South Africa after Adetshina dropped out.
Le Roux, who is deaf, will be the first woman with a physical disability to compete in Miss Universe.
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