By Jennifer Amarachi
A strong candidate in the Miss South Africa pageant, Chidinma Adetshina, has withdrawn from the competition slated to hold on Saturday at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria.
The 23-year-old emerged as a major figure in the country’s xenophobic debate and talks on national identity after getting to the Top 30 and becoming a finalist in the Miss South Africa competition.
She gave in on Thursday morning, weeks after South Africans demanded her disqualification over nationality concerns.
According to information on the Miss South Africa organization’s website, Ms Adetshina was born in South Africa to a Nigerian father and a Mozambique mother and is now a naturalized South African.
On Wednesday night, the South African Department of Home Affairs published a statement alleging that early evidence indicates that Ms Adetshina’s mother may have committed fraud.
The Home Office stated: “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 government, which launched a probe on Tuesday, claimed that Ms Adetshina’s mother stole a South African woman’s name to register her birth 23 years ago.
On Thursday, Ms Adeshina announced on Instagram that she was withdrawing from the Miss South Africa competition.
The statement reads: “I’d want to start by thanking everyone who has supported me since the beginning of my Miss South Africa journey. I am grateful for all of the love and support I have received. Being a part of the Miss South Africa 2024 competition has been an incredible adventure; but, after much careful thinking, I have decided to withdraw 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”.
