Following the pronounced hate for a Nigeria star beauty, Chidinma Adeshina in the pageant organized in South Africa, leading to her withdrawal from the contest on Thursday, after reaching the final stage, Korede Abdullah, our Correspondent who evaluated the controversies over identity and alleged fraud in this Special Feature raises some pertinent questions:- Is Xenophobia not being carried too far?
Xenophobia Intricate Issue
A South African pageant contestant, Chidinma Vanessa Adeshina, born to a Nigerian father, has been the subject of intense scrutiny and vitriolic attacks by South Africans who told her to go back to her country of origin. This culminated in preliminary investigations by the country’s Department of Home Affairs which came up with a report that her mother committed fraud and identity theft in registering her when she was born.
Controversy over Chidimma’s emergence
The Miss South Africa (Miss SA) pageant has found itself enmeshed in a heated controversy regarding the eligibility of a contestant, Chidimma Adeshina, a law student who clinched a coveted place as a Miss South Africa finalist.
Her selection has sparked wild hoopla and indignant backlash due to her Nigerian and Mozambican heritage. Despite being born in Soweto and growing up in Cape Town, Adeshina has faced xenophobic comments and a petition calling for her removal from the competition by various sections of South Africa.
The storms gathering against her
The 23-year-old Chidimma has continued to face questions about her participation in the pageant due to her father’s Nigerian heritage.
In the midst of the raging storm generated by the controversy, however, Chidimma has forged ahead and asserted that she is more than qualified to compete for the Miss SA crown.
“I am a South African citizen and I have met all the requirements to be a part of the Miss SA competition.
“The fact that my father is Nigerian does not take away from the fact that I am South African. My mother is South African, and I was born and raised in this country.”, she retorted.
A video of hers, celebrating with her Nigerian family further ignited outrage, with some South Africans threatening fire and brimstone if she does not withdraw from the pageant.
Statement by the organizers confirming her
Meanwhile, the Miss SA organizers have put out a statement in light of this situation. They confirmed that Chidimma’s documentation meets all the necessary criteria to participate in the pageant.
Despite the pageant’s organizers’ confirmation of her eligibility, the incident has highlighted South Africa’s struggle with xenophobia and afrophobia since 1994 when the white minority rule with the apartheid policy ended.
Raging debate about her qualification
The incident has sparked a broader conversation about identity, citizenship, and belonging in South Africa.
Chidinma has been facing xenophobic backlash and torrent of abuse from South Africans who claim she’s not qualified to contest in the pageant due to her Nigerian heritage.
Various social media platforms have been awash with scathing criticisms and abusive darts directed at the Miss South Africa 2024 finalist. Many of them claimed that they were being disrespected with the inclusion and emergence of Chidimma.
How she braved the odds despite opposition
Africa Health Report (AHR) gathered that Chidinma brazed the odds and passed through all the screening processes and qualifications to participate in the contest regardless of her dual citizenship.
South African minister denounced her
The country’s Sports Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie, the leader of the Patriotic Alliance party, which has joined a coalition government and made migration issues a key part of its platform, waded into the issue.
“We truly cannot have Nigerians compete in our Miss SA competition. I wanna get all facts before I comment but it gives funny vibes already,” he said on X.
The minister added that Chidinma is half South African hence her parents are foreigners and cannot participate on the contest which further triggered the public audience to condemn her recognition.
South Africa’s notoriety for xenophobia
South Africa has been notorious for xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other black Africans. The act of violence, harassment, and intimidation directed towards Nigerians based on their perceived nationality, or immigration status is not the first time.
After apartheid ended in 1994, the government led by Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC) welcomed African migrants and asylum seekers to the country in part to aid its reintegration into the continent after years of isolation.
Previous attacks on black Africans
With many South Africans experiencing financial crunch, foreigners became the target for some frustrated by their situation.
Zimbabweans, Nigerians and Somalis, among others, have been accused of taking opportunities and resources from South Africans.
In early September 2019, xenophobic attacks escalated dramatically in two large South African cities, Johannesburg and Pretoria, as well as adjoining areas. Businesses belonging to African immigrants were looted, burned and destroyed.
Between January and September 2019 South Africa recorded 68 attacks and 18 people died. More than 147 shops were looted. Immigrants in South Africa commonly hail from countries like Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Angola, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with Nigerians experiencing violence of large-scale proportion.
According to Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Advisor, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the country lost about 116 nationals due to the unlawful acts of some hoodlums in South Africa in 2019.
Analysts and foreign affairs experts said the ugly trend remains a significant setback and which poses a threat to the external relations of Nigeria and South Africa.
Chidimma’s determination
With her unwavering determination to forge ahead in the contest despite the attacks from many South Africans challenging her eligibility, Chidimma’s courage has been praised for standing tall amidst her other contestants.
Despite facing numerous challenges and biases, she had proven herself to be a force to be reckoned with. She believes that she could shatter glass ceilings and break down barriers.
In spite of Ms Adetshina’s demoralizing experience with abuse said she would remain resolute by insisting that the xenophobic attacks are a temporary setback in her quest to clinch the crown. She said there are many South Africans who are rooting for her.
Withdrawal of Ms Adeshina
Like an oasis in the vast desert, leader of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party Julius Malema defended Ms Adeshina in the previous week, saying: “Why do people want to say she’s from Nigeria or Mozambique? She was born here.
Despite the lifeline provided by EFF opposition leader, Chidimma Adeshina was frustrated to withdraw from the Miss South Africa pageant on August 8. This comes after the Patriotic Alliance instituted urgent legal action against Adeshina and Miss South Africa in order to prevent her from participating.
Subject of vicious attacks
Chidimma, 23, has been the subject of hostile, xenophobic attacks on social media after she was announced as a finalist in the competition in July.
Many aggrieved South Africans had questioned her credentials, including cabinet ministers who expressly opposed her participation.
Home Affairs Ministry investigations
The controversy the issue generated led to an investigation into her citizenship by the Home Affairs Ministry, after a request from the pageant’s organisers.
The investigation team said it uncovered “prima facie indications” that Chidimma’s mother may have committed fraud and stolen the identity of a South African woman after the Miss SA hopeful was born, the ministry said on Wednesday.
A deliberate plan to stampede her out of the race
To many people who have been keenly following the events, the investigation looks a case of calling a dog a bad name in order to hang him.
Announcement of withdrawal on Instagram
In a post on her Instagram account, Chidimma said although withdrawing from the pageant is a difficult decision, the safety of her family comes first.
The post reads, “I would like to start off by thanking everyone who has stood beside me right from the start of my Miss South Africa journey. I’m really grateful for all the love and support I have been shown.
“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 of the best for the remainder of the competition. Whoever wears the crown represents us all.”
In the eye of storm
In the eye storm of social criticism, the beauty pageant contestant Chidimma Adetshina came under fire over her South African claim of citizenship and identity since making it into the final Top 13 selection of this year’s competition.
The Ms Adetshina’s withdrawal from the race has sparked extensive discussions and debates on xenophobia, Afrophobia, and black-on-black discrimination within South Africa, highlighting deep-seated tensions in the rainbow country.
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