Miss South Africa: Chidimma Adetshina withdraws from pageant over citizenship controversy
The Miss South Africa competitor Chidimma Adetshina, who faced an investigation into her nationality, has withdrawn from the beauty pageant.
Chidimma, a model with Nigerian ancestry, was involved in a recent controversy regarding her eligibility to compete in the Miss South Africa competition.
The 23-year-old South African native was raised in Soweto. Her mother is from Mozambique, and her father is from Nigeria.
The early evidence suggests that Adetshina’s mother may have committed fraud and identity theft, according to allegations made on Wednesday by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) for South Africa.
However, Home Affairs claimed Chidimma, who was underage when the accused acts in 2001 occurred, was not a part of the fraudulent schemes.
Chidimma announced on Thursday that she was withdrawing from the tournament for the “safety of my family and I” in a statement posted on her Instagram page.
She wrote:
“I would like to start off by thanking everyone beside me right from the start of my Miss South Africa journey. I’m really grateful for all the love and support I’ve been shown,” she wrote.
“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 wellbeing of my family and I.
“With the support of the Miss South Africa organisation, I leave with a heart full of gratitude for this amazing experience.
“I would like to take this opportunity to wish my fellow finalists all the best for the remainder of the competition. Whoever represents us wears the crown for all.”
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