A Miss South Africa finalist has announced she is withdrawing from the competition after facing a xenophobic row over her ethnicity.
Chidimma Adetshina, 23, was one of ten finalists in the competition but says she has made the “difficult decision” to leave the competition before tomorrow’s final.
The beautiful model was born in South Africa, but has mixed ancestry: her father is Nigerian, while her mother is of Mozambican descent.
There were angry rumors that Adetshina would not be eligible to participate in the competition. She was said to be Nigerian and not South African.
The law student was subjected to a barrage of vicious insults on social media and Miss South Africa and the government were called upon to ban her from participating.
In a statement posted to Instagram on Thursday, Adetshina broke her silence on the matter, revealing that she had to withdraw from the competition out of fear for her own safety and that of her family.
Chidimma Adetshina, 23, has been forced to withdraw from Miss South Africa after a row over her race
She said: ‘I want to start by thanking everyone who has stood by my side since the beginning of my Miss South Africa journey. I am truly grateful for all the love and support I have received.
‘Participating in the Miss South Africa 2024 competition has been an amazing adventure. However, after much deliberation, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the competition for the safety of my family and myself.
‘Thanks to the support of the Miss South Africa Organisation, I leave with a heart full of gratitude for this wonderful 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, it represents us all.”
Adetshina, who had earlier said she was “super excited” for the final, thanked her fans for the “love and support” she had received.
Despite withdrawing from the competition, she is still listed as the top contestant on the Miss South Africa website.
In a statement, Miss South Africa organisers said: ‘In light of recent events, Miss South Africa 2024 contestant Chidimma Adetshina has taken the difficult decision to withdraw from the Miss South Africa competition.
‘We wish Chidimma all the best and success in all her endeavours.
The law student had previously expressed how ‘excited’ she was to be one of the 10 finalists
She thanked her fans for their ‘love and support’ after revealing she had withdrawn from the competition
‘Miss South Africa celebrates the rich and inclusive culture and diversity of South Africa. We uphold the spirit of Ubuntu-Botho and are committed to helping to build self-confidence, self-belief and the fulfilment of aspirations for all girls and women in Africa and worldwide.
‘The Miss South Africa Organisation would like to thank its sponsors, partners, fans and all stakeholders for their continued support and wishes the Miss South Africa 2024 finalists all the best.’
Miss South Africa had previously stated that she may participate if she is in possession of a valid ID and passport. In addition, the country grants citizenship by birth to anyone born in the country after 1995.
Adetshina said it was disappointing to see so much “black-on-black hate” in the reactions to her performance at the competition, telling local media: “You try so hard to represent your country and wear it with so much pride, but all these people don’t support you.”
Images circulated on social media showing her alongside others in traditional Nigerian dress, only worsening the abuse.
Fuel was added to the fire after an investigation by the Department of Home Affairs found “prima facie evidence” that Adetshina’s mother may have stolen the identity of a South African woman after she was born.
Interior Minister Leon Schreiber said: ‘There are reasons to believe that fraud and identity theft were committed by the person listed in the Interior Office records as the mother of Chidimma Adetshina.
‘An innocent South African mother, whose identity may have been stolen as part of the alleged fraud committed by Adetshina’s mother, suffered as she was unable to register her child.’
The model posted a statement on her Instagram page saying concerns for her and her family’s safety led to the decision ahead of the final day of voting on Saturday.
The law student was subjected to a barrage of vicious abuse on social media, while Miss South Africa and the government were urged to ban her from competing
Today, South Africa is known as the ‘Rainbow Nation’, but even after apartheid, xenophobia still prevails.
The abuse is mainly directed at people from Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Somalia, who are used as scapegoats to ‘steal jobs’ and are responsible for high drug use and crime.
It has led to the rise of xenophobic movements and political parties, including the far-right Patriotic Alliance led by Gayton McKenzie, which won two percent of the vote in the May elections.
McKenzie, who is also the Minister of Culture, wrote on Twitter last week: “We really can’t have Nigerians participating in our Miss SA competition. I want to know all the facts before I comment but it’s already a funny feeling.
‘When you offer to represent South Africans, you willingly expose yourself to criticism.
‘South Africans should not be ashamed and blamed just because they ask the lady who wants to represent them as Miss South Africa the necessary questions.’
But Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, stood up for her during a podcast interview.
He said: ‘We cannot punish people based on where their parents are from… Your nationality is determined by where you were born, so if she was born here, she is South African.’
The stunning model was born and raised in South Africa. Her father is Nigerian, while her mother is of Mozambican descent.
“It doesn’t matter. She’s not her parents, she’s herself. So why do you say she’s from Nigeria or Mozambique? She was born here.”
Adetshina indicated in her participation video that her parents are not from South Africa, which sparked a discussion about her eligibility.
Born and raised in Johannesburg, she is now a law student at Varsity College, a model and a netball player.
According to her biography for Miss South Africa, she is passionate about bringing about change in the area of violence against women and children.
The winner of Miss South Africa will be announced on August 10 at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria.