A 23-year-old South African beauty queen, Chidimma Vannesa Onwe Adetshina, has faced backlash after making it to the top 16 at the ongoing Miss South Africa (Miss SA) pageant.
Born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and South African mother, Adetshina 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 unpleased 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.
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“All documentation provided by the entrants is screened and vetted. Chidimma is a South African citizen and has met all the requirements to be a part of the Miss South Africa competition. Her mother is South African (Zulu), and her father is Nigerian,” they said in the statement.
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.
