Edwin Usoboh 
The organisers of Miss South Africa have addressed the controversy trailing the eligibility of Chidinma Adetshina, the 23-year-old model of Nigerian heritage, to contest in this year’s beauty pageant.
Chidinma was born at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto, South Africa to a Nigerian father (Igbo) and a Mozambique mother (Zulu).
She was raised in Soweto. Her parents were said to have met in Johannesburg in the late 90s before they eventually settled in Pimville. The controversy surrounding her nationality rapidly gained traction on social media platforms earlier this month after she qualified for the round of 16.
Her participation in the pageant attracted harsh criticism, with some X users calling for her disqualification. They argued that the law student from South Africa’s Varsity College in Cape Town “is not South African enough” to compete in the pageant.
The backlash intensified after the country’s minister of sports, arts, and culture tweeted, “We truly can’t have Nigerians compete in our SA competition.
I want to get all the facts before I comment, but it’s giving funny vibes already”. While some users launched a discriminatory petition calling for her disqualification, others, however, came to her defense.
In South Africa, citizenship can be obtained by birth, registration, or naturalization. The country’s Citizen Act states that: “an individual automatically qualifies for citizenship if they are born in South Africa if at least one of their parents is a South African citizen, and if an SA permanent residency permit holder or a South African citizen adopts them”.
Similarly, according to the eligibility criteria on Miss South Africa’s website: “entrants must be South African citizens and possess a valid South African ID document or passport.
If an applicant holds dual citizenship, they must provide details of both on the entry form”. Also, in a chat with BBC Pidgin, the pageant’s organisers said the documents provided by Chidinma were screened and vetted.
They added that she met the criteria to participate in the 66th edition of the Miss South Africa pageant. The grand finale is scheduled for August 10, 2024, in Pretoria. The winner is expected to represent South Africa at this year’s Miss Universe pageant in Mexico.
