South African beauty queen Chidimma Adetshina is at risk of losing her citizenship and travel documents after becoming involved in a heated debate over her nationality.
Adetshina, a 23-year-old law student, initially gained attention upon reaching the finals of the Miss South Africa pageant, only to face questions about her eligibility because of her Nigerian and Mozambican background.
Allegations then surfaced accusing her mother of identity theft to acquire South African citizenship illegally, leading Adetshina to withdraw from the competition, citing worries for her family’s safety.
She was later invited to compete in the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, despite not having lived in Nigeria for two decades.
Newly crowned Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Adetshina, was forced to pull out of the Miss South Africa pageant after a dispute over her citizenship and will now represent Nigeria at the upcoming Miss Universe competition. Nigerian organizers said it was a chance for her to “represent your father’s native land on an international stage.”
But the accusations surrounding her citizenship have continued to circulate. On Tuesday, the Department of Home Affairs announced plans to cancel her ID papers and remove travel rights until the issue is resolved.
Tommy Makhode, South Africa’s top civil servant at the department, said Ms. Adetshina’s mother would also have her documents canceled as they had both failed to meet Monday’s deadline to give reasons to keep them.
Their case has now been sent to the Hawks—a police unit handling serious crimes—who concluded it was a “case of fraud.” But they also admitted that regardless of the outcome, Ms. Adetshina “could not have been involved in the alleged unlawful actions of her mother as she was an infant at the time.”
The beauty queen has not yet commented on the decision to revoke her papers but previously told the BBC she would “need therapy to recover” from the xenophobic hostility she has faced after becoming involved in the dispute.
Ms. Adetshina previously said she was born in the South African township of Soweto. After winning the beauty competition in Nigeria, she told the BBC that she still saw herself as “proudly South African” and “proudly Nigerian.”
Although she has been mostly welcomed by Nigerians, many of whom were pleased to see her win, some have suggested the way she entered the competition was unfair to the other contestants.
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“I do understand where people are coming from but at the end of the day I also had my own journey. I had my fair share of going through the process,” she said. “There might have been a slight difference, but I feel like I also went through the journey that they went through.”
In the meantime, Adetshina will stay in Mexico for the next few weeks as she prepares to represent Nigeria at the Miss Universe competition held on November 16. She will compete against contestants from around the world, including Mia le Roux, who won this year’s Miss South Africa contest.
