Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina, a contestant in Miss South Africa 2024 with Nigerian heritage, has withdrawn from the pageant amid a nationality controversy and a government investigation.
Her decision to pull out came after the Home Affairs ministry accused her mother of fraud and identity theft.
Adetshina, 23, announced on Instagram on August 8 that she chose to withdraw for the safety and wellbeing of herself and her family.
Adetshina, a law student, faced severe xenophobic attacks online after being named a finalist in July.
Many people, including cabinet ministers, doubted her eligibility because of her Nigerian background.
Adetshina has said she was born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and a South African mother of Mozambican heritage.
The controversy led to an investigation into her citizenship, requested by the pageant organizers.
On Wednesday, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said the investigation found initial evidence that Adetshina’s mother might have committed fraud and used another South African woman’s identity.
The ministry is seeking legal advice on how this could affect Adetshina’s citizenship, as she was an infant when the alleged fraud occurred.
South Africa grants citizenship by birth to anyone born in the country after 1995 to a South African parent or permanent resident.
Adetshina’s participation in the pageant fueled anti-foreigner sentiment in South Africa, which has seen violent attacks on immigrants in the past.
Politicians, celebrities, and ordinary people debated her eligibility, with some defending her and others calling for her disqualification.
In announcing her withdrawal, Adetshina thanked everyone who supported her throughout her Miss South Africa journey.
“I am really grateful for all the love and support I have been shown,” she wrote.
