Miss South Africa finalist at center of nationality row to compete in Nigerian pageant instead
CNN — Chidimma Adetshina, who quit the Miss South Africa beauty pageant last week after being embroiled in a row over her nationality, has accepted an invitation to compete for the title of Miss Universe Nigeria instead.
Born to a Nigerian father and a South African mother with Mozambican roots, Adetshina, 23, withdrew from the South African contest as questions swirled over her eligibility to enter and she became the target of xenophobic online attacks.
Posting on Instagram on August 8, she said she made the “difficult decision” to quit the contest to protect the “safety and wellbeing of my family and I.”
A day after Adetshina announced her withdrawal from the Miss South Africa pageant, the organizers of Miss Universe Nigeria invited her to compete in their contest instead, saying it was “an opportunity to represent her father’s native land on an international stage” and adding that her “journey in the world of pageantry is far from over.”
Responding to the invitation, Adetshina said in a video shared on Instagram Thursday that she was “excited to embark on this journey,” describing Miss Universe Nigeria as “Africa’s most prestigious beauty pageant.”
Under government investigation
When Adetshina was selected for the Miss South Africa pageant last month, her Nigerian names triggered calls for clarity on her citizenship status from some South Africans and made her the subject of xenophobic attacks on social media.
In a statement posted on its website on August 7, South Africa’s Home Affairs department, which oversees immigration, said it investigated Adetshina’s citizenship at the request of the pageant’s organizers and found that “fraud and identity theft may have been committed” by her mother to obtain South African citizenship.
However, it added that “Adetshina could not have participated in the alleged unlawful actions of her mother, as she was an infant at the time when the activities took place in 2001.”
The department said it was working to “establish the full set of facts” on the matter and was also “obtaining legal advice on the implications of the alleged fraudulent activity on Adetshina’s citizenship status.”
CNN has reached out to Adetshina for comment.
Miss South Africa’s organizers acknowledged Adetshina’s withdrawal from the contest, wishing her “the very best and success in all her endeavors.” They added in a statement that the pageant “celebrates South Africa’s rich and inclusive culture and diversity.”
The nationality spat has elicited mixed reactions in South Africa, where xenophobic and anti-immigrant attacks are common.
“If she (Adetshina) was born here, she is South African… she is not her parents,” populist opposition politician Julius Malema said in a recent interview discouraging xenophobia.
Adetshina’s withdrawal from the Miss South Africa contest also drew sympathy from Grammy-winning singer Tyla, who said in a post on X that she was “disappointed” at the online harassment Adetshina had faced.
Tyla said that while she “will always stand with South Africa,” she believed that “regardless of the opinions, she (Adetshina) was bullied and that’s what I don’t stand for.”
If she wins Miss Universe Nigeria, Adetshina will represent the West African nation in the Miss Universe beauty pageant to be held in Mexico later this year.
