After a prolonged controversy over her eligibility for the Miss South Africa pageant, Chidimma Adetshina, one of the top contenders for the crown, has finally bowed out.
Her decision to throw in the towel followed months of row within the South African public over the authenticity of her citizenship despite being born and bred in South Africa because her father is a Nigerian and her mother a Mozambican.
Twenty-three-year old Chidimma gave in on Thursday morning following a statement issued by the Department of Home Affairs for South Africa on Wednesday night, claiming that preliminary evidence suggested that her mother might have committed identity fraud.
“Information we have uncovered thus far, the Department of Home Affairs can indicate that prima facie reasons exist to believe that fraud and identity theft may have been committed by the person recorded in Home Affairs records as Chidimma Adetshina’s mother,” the statement said.
The department, which commenced investigations on Tuesday, alleged that Ms Adetshina’s mother stole a South African woman’s identity to register her birth 23 years ago.
Barely 24 hours the Home Office’s statement, Chidimma issued a statement announcing her decision to withdraw from the pageant.
The statement reads: “I would like to start by thanking everyone who has stood beside me right from the start of my Miss South Africa journey.
“I am grateful for all the love and support I have been shown.
“Being part of the Miss South Africa 2024 competition has been an amazing journey.
“However, after much careful consideration, I have decided to withdraw myself from the competition for the safety and well-being of my family and me.
“With the support of the Miss South Africa Organisation, I leave with a heart full of gratitude for this amazing experience.
“I would like to take this opportunity to wish my fellow finalists all the best for the remainder of the competition.
“Whoever wears the crown represents us all.”
The nation had reported two weeks ago the pressure piled on Chidimma by suspected South Africans with Xenophobic bent.
In the story, she had lamented feeling no love from the people she sought to represent as Miss South Africa despite being born and raised in the Nelson Mandela’s country.
Expressing how much her spirit was dampened by the development, Chidimma recalled that she was very excited when she entered the contest and did not anticipate the wave of skepticism regarding her heritage.
She said: I was so excited to enter Miss South Africa and did not think that far as to what the public would think.
“Once I got to the top 16, that was when I felt it. People on X were asking why I’m competing because I’m not South African. They questioned my nationality along with my parents.
“At first I ignored it. But as I progressed in the competition, the criticism started growing until I thought to myself: ‘I’m representing a country but I don’t feel the love from the people I’m representing.
“I even asked myself is it worth it? I feel all 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.”
Further expressing her frustration, she said: “You try so hard to represent your country and wear it with so much pride but all these people are not in support of you. I’ve gotten to a point where I don’t know what to say or what not to say because this is such a sensitive topic.
“I don’t want to say something and then offend people. I’m at a point where I don’t know whether I should keep quiet or set the records straight, because there is a lot that is being misconstrued.
“To me, I see this as an opportunity where I can educate people. I just need to see how I go about it.”
Chidimma, a Law student, model and netball player, would not be the first whose entry into the Miss South Africa contest would provoke such interest from the South African public. The entry of a model, Sherry Wang, earlier in the year had also sparked a wave of controversy.
She would also not be the first to make it into the competition in spite of her parents’ origin. Carreira Coutroulis took the Miss South Africa crown in 2001. She won the crown despite being born to Potuguese-Angolan parents and also placed second runner-up at the Miss Universe competition.
