South Africa is revoking the national identity papers of a former Miss South Africa hopeful involved in a controversy over her nationality, the government announced.
Chidimma Adetshina, 23, withdrew from the pageant in August following widespread accusations that she was not South African, leading to an official probe into her citizenship.
On Tuesday, the government stated it would cancel the identification documents of Adetshina and her mother after they missed a deadline to justify retaining them.
A law student born in South Africa to a Nigerian father, Adetshina faced a surge of xenophobic abuse due to her Nigerian heritage upon being named a finalist, spotlighting anti-foreigner sentiments in the country.
The dispute caught the attention of government ministers, with officials also investigating a claim that her mother might have assumed a South African woman’s identity.
Home Affairs Director General Tommy Makhode told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday that Adetshina and her mother had until Monday to present reasons for retaining their national identification documents.
“We have not received any response and therefore the department will be proceeding with the withdrawal of those documents in line with the Identification Act,” Makhode said.
Adetshina stated that she withdrew from the Miss South Africa competition to protect her and her family’s “safety and wellbeing.”
In September, she traveled to Nigeria, where she was warmly welcomed and went on to win a Miss Universe pageant.
She is set to represent Nigeria in the Miss Universe 2024 competition in Mexico on November 16.
South Africa and Nigeria, Africa’s two largest economies, share a longstanding rivalry, with tensions occasionally surfacing in areas such as sports, music, regional political influence, and even ride-sharing services.