It’s the end of the road for Miss South Africa finalist Chidimma Adetshina as she withdraws from the pageant. This happens two days before the finale. Adetshina shared the shattering news on her social media platforms on Thursday.
This comes after the Department of Home Affairs revealed on Wednesday that her mother committed identity fraud to gain SA citizenship.
This comes after the organisers of the event sent the department a request to verify the citizenship of a Adetshina. The request was sent on August 5, amid the outcry over Chidimma’s eligibility to be on the national pageant.
According to the department, the request was accompanied by written consent from both Chidimma and her mother.
Home Affairs finds irregularities in her mother’s identity
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said: “This case, which stems from fraudulent activities committed 23 years ago, highlights the urgent need for the digital modernisation of Home Affairs applications, adjudication and verification processes. To insulate the department against fraudulent interference. Similar to the reforms undertaken at the South African Revenue Service in the late 2000s.”
Chidimma’s participation in the pageant has been the subject of discussion that has divided the nation. Citizens and politicians questioned her eligibility. This after her public support for Nigeria, her father’s country of birth, and Mozambique, her mother’s birth country. She displayed the two countries’ flags on her Miss SA bio, leaving out the SA flag. Only when South Africans complained, did she replace her Mozambican flag with the SA flag. But the damage was done.
She also wrote that she grew up in Soweto in her bio. It said she was born at Bara hospital in Soweto, to a Mozambican mother who is a naturalised South African Zulu. And a video of her celebrating her advancement in the pageant was circulated on social media.
It showed a Nigerian themed family celebration. All these fuelled demands to establish her real citizenship. The pressure forced the pageant organiser to finally request the minister to investigate Chidimma’s citizenship.
The minister’s investigation found irregularities in her mother’s identity papers that granted her citizenship. This put into question Chidimma’s eligibility to participate in a national pageant.
Chidimma bows out ‘due to safety concerns’
Adetshina, in her statement on Thursday, thanked everyone who has supported her through her Miss SA 2024 journey.
“Being part of the Miss South Africa 2024 competition has been an amazing journey. However, after much careful consideration, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw myself from the competition. For the safety and well-being of my family and I. With the support of the Miss South Africa Organization, I leave with a heart full of gratitude for this amazing experience.”
She further wished her fellow finalist the best for the remainder of the competition. The Miss SA pageant is scheduled to take place on Saturday at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria.
Also Read: ‘Miss SA contestant Chidimma’s mother committed identity fraud’
The man in question is not my father – Miss SA’s Chidimma
Miss SA seeks Home Affairs probe into Chidimma’s citizenship
