October 31st 2024.
Chidimma Adetshina, the winner of Miss Universe Nigeria 2024, has found herself in the midst of a heated debate over her national identity. The 23-year-old South African beauty queen is facing the possibility of losing her citizenship and travel documents due to questions surrounding her eligibility.
As a law student, Adetshina made it to the finals of the Miss South Africa pageant, but her background soon became a topic of investigation. Due to her Mozambican and Nigerian heritage, there were concerns about whether she met the requirements for the competition. It was even alleged that her mother had committed identity theft in order for Adetshina to obtain South African citizenship.
Amidst the controversy, Adetshina withdrew from the Miss South Africa pageant, citing concerns for her family's safety and well-being. However, she was later invited to represent Nigeria in the Miss Universe competition, despite not having visited the country in 20 years. Nigerian organizers saw it as an opportunity for her to represent her father's native land on an international stage.
Despite this, the accusations surrounding her citizenship continued to swirl. The Department of Home Affairs announced on Tuesday that they planned to revoke her ID papers and travel rights until the matter was resolved. The department's top civil servant, Tommy Makhode, stated that Adetshina and her mother had failed to meet the deadline to provide reasons for their eligibility, leading to the decision to withdraw their documents. The case has been referred to the Hawks, a police unit that handles serious crimes, who have deemed it a case of fraud.
However, the Hawks also acknowledged that Adetshina could not have been involved in any unlawful actions committed by her mother, as she was just an infant at the time. Adetshina has yet to comment on the move to revoke her papers, but in a previous interview with the BBC, she expressed the need for therapy to recover from the xenophobic attacks she had faced due to the controversy.
Adetshina, who was born in the South African township of Soweto, has proudly represented both South Africa and Nigeria in the beauty pageants. Despite facing criticism for the way she entered the competition, she believes she went through a fair process and had her own journey. Adetshina will now reside in Mexico for a few weeks as she prepares to compete in the Miss Universe pageant on November 16. She will be up against contestants from all over the world, including Mia le Roux, who won this year's Miss South Africa title.
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