Controversy over Nationality forces South African beauty peagant of Nigerian descent to withdraw

Following the unending argument regarding her Nationality, a Miss South Africa contestant, Chidimma Adetshina, whose Nigerian heritage sparked a national controversy and a government investigation this Thursday withdrew from the beauty pageant.

Chidimma Adetshina’s announcement that she would not be part of Saturday’s final came a day after the Home Affairs ministry accused her mother of fraud and identity theft.

According to her, “After much careful consideration, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw myself from the competition for the safety and wellbeing of my family and I”.

23-year-old Adetshina who is a law student, has been the subject of vicious, xenophobic attacks on social media since she was announced as a finalist in July, with many — including cabinet ministers — questioning her   credentials because of her Nigerian descent.

Adetshina said she was born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and a South African mother of Mozambican descent and South Africa grants citizenship by birth to anyone born in the country after 1995 to a South African parent or permanent resident.

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