A Miss South Africa contestant whose Nigerian heritage sparked a national controversy and a government investigation withdrew from the beauty pageant Thursday.
Chidimma Adetshina’s announcement that she would not take part in Saturday’s final came a day after the Home Affairs ministry accused her mother of fraud and identity theft.
“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,” Adetshina, 23, wrote on Instagram.
Adetshina, 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 has previously told local media she was born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and a South African mother of Mozambican descent.
The ruckus led to an investigation into her citizenship following a request from the pageant’s organisers.
On Wednesday, home affairs minister Leon Schreiber said the investigation uncovered “prima facie indications” that Adetshina’s mother might have committed fraud and stolen the identity of a South African woman.
The ministry said it was obtaining legal advice on the implications of this on the citizenship of Adetshina, who was an infant at the time of the alleged fraud.
South Africa grants citizenship by birth to anyone born in the country after 1995 to a South African parent or permanent resident.
Adetshina’s participation in the pageant stoked anti-foreigner sentiment in the nation, which has witnessed violent, and at times deadly, attacks on immigrants in the past.
Politicians, celebrities and ordinary citizens weighed in on the debate. While many came to her defence, others argued she should be disqualified.
Announcing her decision to quit, Adetshina thanked everyone who “stood beside me right from the start of my Miss South Africa journey”.
“I am really grateful for all the love and support I have been shown,” she wrote.
